
Rnnk TP2S 



CofpgiitW 



CflPlfRtGHT DEPOSir. 




Yours truly, Isaac Marshall Page 



THE CHILDBEH OF THE WEST 

Written by 

ISAAC MARSHALL PAGE 

1) 

Author of 
"The Keniuckian; or, A Woman s Reaping,'' 




M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY 
CHICAGO NEW YORK 



Copyright 1918 

By 

/. M. PA GE 

Cincinnati, - Ohio 



MAY -3 (9/8 



ff=^ 



©CLA495950 



"The Children of the Highest" 



BOOK ONE. 



Chapter 1— "The Children of the Highest" 7 

Chapter 2— "The Way to become the Children of 

the Highest" 13 

Chapter 3— "Prayer" 19 

Chapter 4— "Faith" 25 

Chapter 5— "Service" 31 

Chapter 6-"Power" 38 

Chapter 7— "An Angel of Hope" 43 

Chapter 8 — "Sayings of I. M. Page as used in 
addresses throughout the United 
States" :,.. 47 



"The Girl That Disappeared" 



BOOK TWO. 



Chapter 1— "The Slave Trader and his work" 55 

Chapter 2— "A Ray of Hjope" 65 

Chapter 3— "A Broken-hearted M,other" 75 

Chapter 4— "Lost in the Desert". . . , 84 

Chapter 5— "The Trial" 90 

Chapter 6— "The Search" 101 

Chapter 7— "The Sham Rescue" 117 

Chapter 8 — "Happenings in Rosewood" 124 

Chapter 9-^"The Perilous Pathway" 128 

Chapter 10 — "Harry Morten — And the Rescue" 135 

Chapter 11— "The Cattle upon a Thousand Hills".. 139 
Chapter 12— "More than a Tithe" 145 



CHAPTER 1. 
**The Children of the Highest/' 

It was the Holy Sabbath day. The 
earth had donned her beautiful coat of 
verdure. The Sun touched trees and 
flowers with millions of tiny rays, add- 
ing to the glory of the morning. My 
thoughts were filled with the greatness 
and goodness of Ood, as I listened to 
the Pastor reading the lesson from the 
sixth chapter of St. Luke. I heard it 
all till he read the 35th verse, "And ye 
shall be the Children of the Highest." 
I almost cried out for joy. The minis- 
ter's voice went on, but all I could hear 
was the echo of those wonderful words, 
"Children of the Highest!" What a 
sentence ! The very words gripped me 
and lifted me up. They rang through 
my mind and led me out into new fields 
of thought. 

More than a year has passed since 
that Sabbath morning, but the echo of 
that living sentence, "Children of the 
Highest," rings in my mind like strange, 
sweet music. Today the music it brings 
is sweeter and the Holy Spirit is whis- 



The Children of the Highest 



pering, "Write !" I am now in one of 
our great Eastern cities-^a city of 
many iron and steel plants. The sky is 
dark with the smoke of their furnaces, 
but beyond the darkness there arises a 
vision of pastures green, and waters 
still, where feast-covered tables are 
spread by the hand of the Highest. No, 
no. Reader, this is no fancy. This land 
of such wondrous beauty exists. You 
can discover it if you will. You can play 
in its gardens, gather its choice flowers 
of promise and taste the rich fruits 
of the Spirit. The tree of life is laden 
with fruitage and its leaves are for 
the heaHng of the nations. Do not stay 
longer here in the wilderness of doubt. 
Christian experience is merely imitated 
down here where you are, but come with 
me up into the gardens of life and you 
shall really "taste and see that the Lord 
is good!" Come away from the vain 
cares and vexations that have cost you 
so much precious time and made you 
lose sight of the King's Highway. Come 
away from the sins that you so dearly 
love. You are tired and weary where 
you are. The desert sands are burning 
your feet and the swift flowing pleas- 
ures you have, do not really satisfy you. 




"Oh, come up higher, for here are the green pastures and 
the still waters." 



The Children of the Highest 



You are thirsting for the fountain that 
"springs up unto everlasting life." Oh, 
come up higher, for here are the green 
pastures and the still waters. The feast 
also is spread and He who has prepared 
it so abundantly says: "Ye shall be the 
Children of the Highest." 

Wilt thou follow ? Carefully at first, 
for the way is not clear to you as it 
will be. Only be sure, Dear Reader, 
that you follow. Follow each line and 
thought with a complete surrender to 
His divine will and this little book will 
open to your eyes a vision as wonderful 
as that seen by the young man who f ol« 
lowed Elisha (H Kings 6:17). And 
thou, Dear Holy Spirit, be pleased to 
direct my pen that I may faithfully 
show the path of life ! 

In this great center — this eastern city 
of numberless foundries — there is much 
darkness. The smoke and fog are some- 
times so heavy that the streec lights 
have to be lighted. Here are foreign 
born and poor. There are children 
here, dirty, tanned and even mangy, 
playing on the back streets and alleys. 
They have never heard the name of 
Christ unless when taken in vain. They 
eat and sleep and when they grow older 



10 The Children of the Highest 

they will hate and fight. Butchery, 
murder and inordinate desire will make 
up their life's history. Look at these 
shadows only that you may help other 
pilgrims on this way to the better 
things. Glance quickly as we pass hur- 
riedly on, two blocks this way, and three 
that way, for you will hear and see evi- 
dences of sin. You will hear more, too, 
of the foreign speech than you do Eng- 
lish. The nations from over the sea are 
gathered here talking ever, talking sin. 
Turn the corner and look. What places 
of evil lie here before the eye! Here 
the vile saloon, and there? Look at 
them, the dens of opium smokers ! That 
is quite enough. Shut out the picture, 
for we seek the Gardens of Life in the 
land that is filled with beauty. No one 
loves to linger amid these unpleasant 
scenes, and yet, Dear Reader, each 
heart is a garden, of good or of evil. 
These hearts have been filled with the 
wrong seeds, but if they look vile to us, 
what do our hearts look like to Him 
who knew no sin? Quickly go, then, 
into the garden of your soul and weed 
out all that is unpleasant to His dear 
sight. 
We pass now from the crowded city 



The Children of the Highest 11 

street and turn to the days of yester- 
day — the days of childhood, when life 
was fragrant as the dewy flowers of the 
morning. In these sunlit fields of youth 
the air is pure and the church bell sends 
forth its holy harmony each Sabbath 
day. Let us ride slowly up the rocky 
hill-side, listening as we go. It is the 
hour of the Sabbath-school and the 
children are singing. What music is 
sweeter than the voices of children? 
What joyful hearts they have and how 
happy their faces! Their minds are 
now fixed on the Christ of Galilee and 
the first moment we look upon them we 
know that we are in the presence of 
Children of the Highest. 

What is the difference in these chil- 
dren and the dirty children of foreign 
birth playing at the stalls of sin? Dif- 
ference? Why the difference in dark- 
ness and light, of shame and glory. The 
gates of both Heaven and Hell appear 
in the answer. How wide apart they 
are ! One the children of sin, the other 
Children of the Highest. 

Reader, choose carefully which way 
you take today! Heaven and Hell both 
offer themselves, and you must make 
choice, for you have come to the part- 



12 The Children of the Highest 

ing of the ways. One way is broad and 
smooth for awhile, but it leads to death. 
The other is narrow and steep and often 
very rugged, but it leads to the Gardens 
of Life. Only follow the way ever up- 
ward for the Gardens are in full bloom 
and . you may inherit them if you 
will. "Ye shall be the Children of the 
Highest." 



CHAPTER a 
"The Way to Be a Child of the Highest." 

I wonder, Reader, if as you read this 
chapter you do not need to know God. 
Perhaps you have never been saved 
from your sins, or perhaps you are His 
child and in your heart of hearts you 
want to be nearer to Him ; in either case 
you may have your heart's desire, if 
only you will. He is much nearer to us 
than we are accustomed to think. Who- 
ever thou art who readest here, you can 
be his own child in less than an hour-« 
even in a moment if you desire it. It 
does not take God long to do his work. 
Are you ready for Him to have the life 
you have thus wasted and broken? 
Then keep close, for the path is narrow. 

You have but to come to Jesus to be 
saved. This is a puzzling sentence to 
you, Reader, but it is so simple to those 
who have been over this way of expe- 
rience. The way to God puzzles many 
because of its simplicity. You expect 
something difficult, but His plan is the 
easiest and most common sense thing 
in all the world. He tells us that the 

13 



14 The Children of the Highest 

way is so simple that a wayfaring man 
though a fool need not err therein. It 
is so simple that a little child can find it, 
and so reasonable that the greatest 
mind must approve it. 

Conversion is indeed a great work. 
So great that no power on earth can 
perform it. No human teacher nor 
able preacher can perform it for you; 
neither can you save yourself. You can 
no more convert your soul than you can 
create a world. God alone can do that. 
He says, "Ye must be born again," but 
He sees to that great spiritual birth. 
Don't try to do God's work for Him. 
You cannot. A great many people 
waste time trying to bear themselves 
into the Kingdom. They try to know 
that their names are written on the 
Lamb's book of life. They try to merge 
into the super-natural, when religion is 
the most natural thing in the world. 
There is a superhuman work, but you 
leave that to Him. He says, *^Him that 
cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out," 
so, dear one, simply, only come to Him 
and He will fulfill this promise in your 
salvation from sin. 

How may one come to Jesus? Just 
as you would go to any one you have 



The Children of the Highest 15 

wronged. Religion is the soul of com- 
mon sense. What God asks is not the 
most difficult, but the most natural 
thing in the world. If you have wronged 
a friend and you desire the forgiveness 
of this friend, how would you seek that 
forgiveness? First, you make up your 
mind that you will cease trespassing 
against him. Second, you ask him to 
forgive those trespasses, and you be- 
lieve that he will forgive. That is 
just the way to come to Jesus. Is there 
anything more reasonable? Isn't it 
just the natural way? So the plan 
of salvation that you have so often 
thought of as being a peculiar and dif- 
ficult affair is the most natural plan. 
God simply adopted the human way, in 
order to make it easy of entrance. The 
only thing that a human being can do 
is to come and ask. Our Savior does 
the rest. In theological terms, we say, 
''Repent and believe." This is the lan- 
guage of Jesus, "Repent and believe the 
gospel." 

1st. Repentance, Deal with Him as 
with the earthly friend you have mis- 
treated. Have you made up your mind 
that you would trespass against Him no 
more? That is Repentence. The apos- 



16 The Children of the Highest 

tie calls it "Godly sorrow for sin/' and 
that is "Godly sorrow," for you are so 
sorry for them that you want to quit 
them for His sake. We hear them apeak 
also of Conviction, which is only the 
reason of repentance. It is a part of 
earthly forgiveness. You realize that 
you cannot live without the friendship 
of the human friend you have wronged; 
that it will cost you unpleasant sur- 
roundings if you do. Perhaps you de- 
sire certain blessings that this earthly 
forgiveness will bring you. You also 
think^of the friendship of God and know 
that life is robbed of its best without 
His friendship. You also dread a never- 
ending Eternity without Him, so to es- 
cape these unpleasant surroundings you 
go to Him. You also desire certain 
blessings, that His forgiveness will 
teimg; the life of Peace, and better than 
all. Heaven forever. Just now, dear 
reader, throw away that burden of sin, 
for repentance means "turning away 
from." 

2nd. Faith. You cannot believe 
without repenting, nor can you repent 
without believing. How inseparable 
are these steps! To believe Jesus to 
have really been on earth, Son of the 



Th^ CUld/rm of the Highest 17 

most high God, is one thing. To take 
Him as your personal Savior from sin 
is another. The devils believe and 
tremble. They believe the history ot the 
Christ. Every sinner believes Christ 
as a historical character and yet re- 
mains in his sins. He must be more to 
you than a character in history, as 
Washington, Columbus, and others. He 
must be your present, personal Savior 
from sin. Believe Him enoug^h .that 
you are willing to declare His friend- 
ship to the whole world; willing to ac- 
knowledge that you are a Christian. 
Do not wait for feeling. Do not wait 
for the witness of the Spirit. All this 
will be yours, but just now believe that 
He keeps His word true in your case. 
"Him that cometh to Me I will in nowise 
cast out!'' He has given even this 
power to you. Power to become a son 
of God. Oh, make haste! Fall down 
before Him! Tell Him all your tres- 
passes against Him ! Thrust those sins 
from you, and believe that He is true 
to His promise to save! If this you 
truly do, you are a saved man at this 
moment. He writes your name in the 
Book of Life. 
These steps are all that a human 



18 The Children of the Highest 

being can take. They may be taken in 
an altar of prayer, in your pew in 
church, in the quiet of your room, or 
anjrwhere. Many have found Him pre- 
cious to their souls at the old time 
mourners' bench after weeks of seek- 
ing, others have found Him in a moment 
and away from the house of prayer. 
He is everywhere. He is near you at 
this moment. Open your heart and let 
him come in. You cannot afford to go 
longer without Him. 

This week, this day, this hour, this 
moment you may be A CHILD OF THE 
HIGHEST. 



CHAPTER 3. 

"Prayer." 

A child of a King can talk to the 
King. The King will hear because His 
child is speaking. You are now a child 
of the King of Kings and whatever you 
say to Him is prayer. If you are kneel- 
ing, sitting, standing, walking along 
the street or anywhere, just speak to 
God and your speaking to Him is 
prayer. I am glad there is no certain 
position for prayer. Kneeling is an ex- 
cellent position. Saint Stephen kneeled, 
and so have many other eminent Chris- 
tians in the early days of the church, 
but our God does not refuse to hear 
because we do not happen to be in a 
certain position. Every Christian, both 
young and old, should always think of 
God as so near them that he hears each 
time they speak to Him. St. Paul evi- 
dently referred to being in such an 
attitude of prayer when he said, "Pray 
without ceasing.'' The Christian life 
becomes so much easier if we keep in 
mind that God is an ever present friend. 
We must speak to Him often, just as 

19 



20 The Children of the Highest 

we would to an earthly friend if they 
were walking beside us. 

Prayer does so many wonderful 
things for us. It defeats temptation. 
If you are thinking of doing wrong, just 
speak to God. Another wonderful thing 
it does is to drive away fear; just speak 
to Him in the moment of fear and fear 
flees before the light of His face. 
Prayer does more than this, for by 
prayer we go to our God with our dif- 
ficulties and He hears and removes 
them whatever they are, only we must 
pray believing. 

God does not give the answer to every 
prayer, because we do not meet the 
conditions of prayer. Very often we 
ask for things we do not really want 
Oh, yes, we would like to have them, 
but we would not go to very much 
trouble to get them. This is praying 
amiss. You must really want what you 
ask for, if you expect God to grant it. 
You must be willing to help God answer 
your prayer. Are you praying for the 
salvation of some one? Then tell them 
about Jesus. Live Jesus in your life 
and He will answer your prayer. Know 
that you want a certain thing, and want 
that thing enough that you are willing 



The Children of the Highest 21 

to do all you can to bring it about; then 
ask in faith believing and he will give 
you just what you ask for. 

You do not have to be a great Chris- 
tian, for God to answer your prayer. 
The least in the Kingdom of God will 
be heard and each petition answered if 
the conditions of prayer are fulfilled. 
He tells us in the 13th verse of the 14th 
chapter of St. John, "And whatsoever 
ye shall ask in my name, that will I do,^' 
And in the 14th verse, "If ye shall ask 
anything in my name, I will do it" 
Asking in His name, or for His glory, 
means not for self, but for Him. Can 
you in the bottom of your heart add to 
your prayer, "Do this, Dear Lord, for 
Jesus' sake" ? If you can, dear Chris* 
tian, God will answer your prayer what- 
ever it be. No heart will be too hard. 
You can reach that lost brother, or com- 
panion, or dear friend by prayer. First, 
want what you ask for with all your 
heart ; even enough to do all you can to 
bring it about. Second, ask it in Jesus' 
name, believing; and He will give 
health, salvation of your friend, or 
whatever you ask Him for. It may be 
that you desire the salvation of one 
who is known to be very hard to reach. 



22 The Children of the Highest 

That does not matter, no heart is too 
hard for God. If you meet the simple 
conditions of prayer and believe in your 
heart that He answers, that hard heart 
will melt, and turn to Jesus. 

Perhaps you ask as did another 
on hearing me make this statement, 
"Doesn't that limit the free will of 
man?" No, it does not keep him from 
using his free moral agency to choose 
or reject Christ. The hardened will is 
a slave to Satan and God answers our 
prayer by driving Satan away from the 
heart and presenting through His Holy 
Spirit the issue of salvation. The man 
chooses for himself. The human soul 
naturally chooses God, but the soul 
bound to evil is not free to choose, so 
that our prayer is answered by the man 
being brought to where he uses his 
free-will. 

Fix in your heart the one thing that 
you desire of the Lord and ask Him for 
that one thing always, in every prayer. 
Set your whole heart upon it. Meet the 
simple conditions of prayer and HE 
WILL DO IT. 

A woman was praying for the salva- 
tion of her brother. He was a bill-clerk 
in one of our southern cities and his life 



The Children of the Highest 23 

was given up to sin. She wanted to 
do all she could to help God answer the 
prayer, so she made a trip of many 
miles to see him, but when she talked 
to him about his soul once, he kept out 
of her way. She stayed several days, 
to no avail. She returned home realiz- 
ing that human effort was worthless in 
his case; then she went to God. She 
was on her knees nearly three hours 
pleading with God for his salvation. 
She held on just like Jacob did, and 
would not let Him go without the prom- 
ised blessing. Then, while on her knees, 
there came to her the sv/eet assurance 
that God had answered her prayer. 
Later the news came that he was con- 
verted. It had occurred in this wise: 
While she was praying in a little town 
nearly a hundred miles away from him, 
he was seized with an awful headache 
and had to leave his desk for the fresh 
air; but fresh air will not heal a sin- 
sick soul. He went to his room and to 
bed. He tried medicines, but these were 
not the things he needed. Late in the 
day he decided to try more fresh air, 
and before he was conscious of his sur- 
roundings, he was walking up the steps 
to a church where there was a revival in 



24 The Children of the Highest 

progress. The light came to him and 
with his own free will he chose Jesus as 
his Saviour. His conversion came the 
day his sister prayed an earnest, 
definite prayer for his salvation. 



CHAPTER 4. 
"Faith/' 

Prayer is worthless without faith. 
Faith is not a difficult thing; just like 
everything else in our Father's plan of 
salvation, it is simple, and may be used 
by any child of God. 

The beautiful 13th chapter of I Co- 
rinthians tells us that faith is one of 
the three greatest things in the world. 
In the 11th chapter of Hebrews we find 
a number of wonderful things faith has 
done. It has locked the mouths of the 
lions, opened the baren womb, broken 
the shadow of doubt and led to the 
incorruptible inheritance. Salvation 
comes by faith. God saves others be- 
cause of our faith. How often did Jesus 
say, "Thy faith hath saved thee''? No 
wonder the apostle said it was one of 
the three greatest things! 

Jesus uses the most emphatic terms 
in describing the power of faith : "And 
Jesus answering saith unto them, Have 
faith in God. For verily I say unto you, 
That whosoever shalt say unto this 
mountain, Be thou removed and be thou 

25 



26 The Children of the Highest 

cast into the sea ; and shall not doubt in 
his heart, but shall believe that those 
things which he saith shall come to 
pass; he shall have whatsoever he 
saith." (St. Mark 11:22-23.) 

Saints of all ages have spoken of the 
importance, or greatness of faith, but, 
dear reader, do not get the erroneous 
idea that has defeated so many of the 
privilege of faith. Some people think 
that faith is a special gift from God, 
and that only those who receive it as a 
gift can use it. This idea is false. 
Faith is an act of the human will, just 
like a step is an act of the human foot. 
Faith is simply believing without any 
doubt. Do not pray, "Lord, give me 
faith!" That would be like saying, 
"Lord, give me steps," and not trying to 
walk. We can pray like the man in 
Jesus' day, "Lord, I believe, help thou 
mine unbelief." We can pray for 
strength, to believe, as we can pray for 
strength to walk, but we must not ask 
God to do for us what He intended us 
to do for ourselves. He does not walk 
for us, and He does not believe for us. 
Perhaps you are thinking of PauFs lan- 
guage, "For by grace are Ye saved, 
through faith, and that not of your- 



The Children of the Highest 27 

selves, it is the gift of God/' So many 
people think this means Faith is the 
gift of God, but it does not. The apostle 
is not talking about faith. He is talking 
about the Grace of God. He tells us 
Grace is the gift of God and comes 
through a human act of the human will, 
believing God. 

We do not need a gift of faith, any- 
more than we need a gift of walking; 
but we need practice to become an able 
walker, and we need to practice our 
faith. Fix your mind on one certain 
thing, find a promise in the Bible that 
fits that need and believe God is true 
to that promise in your particular need. 
Depend upon Him to fulfill it in your 
case, your prayer will be answered and 
your faith will grow simpler and more 
natural day by day. There is a promise 
in that dear old Bible for every human 
need. 

Edward Cooney had not been a Chris- 
tian long until he told me he was called 
to preach. His need was an education 
and no one knew that need better than 
he. We prayed about it and he made 
every preparation he could but they 
were limited. Edward was poor, and 
after getting the few clothes he needed 



28 The Children of the Highest 

there was little of his earthly goods 
left. The day came when he was to 
leave for Kingswood and in excitement 
he entered my study, telling me that he 
just couldn't go, on account of the scarc- 
ity of funds. I knew that he had faith, 
and had been believing all the time — 
that he was only wavering for the 
moment. I quoted Phillippians 4:19: 
"But my God shall supply all your need 
according to His riches in glory by 
Christ Jesus." He looked at me in as- 
tonishment with the question, "That 
does not mean that, does it ?" I assured 
him that God meant every need, and 
especially his need and at that moment. 
We prayed together, and he exercised 
faith for the fulfillment of that promise. 
Was his faith rewarded? 

He reached Kingswood that very 
afternoon with $1.25 in his pocket, was 
accepted as a student, stayed right 
there till he was prepared for the Mas- 
ter's work, and is now preaching those 
^'riches of glory'' in the great North- 
west. There is nothing so extraordi- 
nary about it. He simply believed God. 
God did the rest— no, not all the rest 
He took a paint brush and started work- 
ing his way through, believing as he 



The Children of the Highest 29 

went. Then God did more for him; 
others became interested in prayer for 
him. One member of the faculty wrote 
me that she had the assurance that God 
would send the money for his education, 
and He did. 

Mr. Munsey, in one of those matchless 
sermons that only he could preach, de- 
scribes faith by giving a picture of a 
man hanging to a vine on the side of a 
perpendicular wall. He is too far from 
the top or either side to escape. The 
distance to the bottom is dazzling, and 
he can hear the fibers of the vine break- 
ing one by one. Death seems inevitable. 
Then an angel stoops above him with 
broad outstretched wing. The man 
cries to him to save. The angel asks: 
''Do you believe I am able to save?'' 
The man looks at the mighty build of 
the angel and answers, "Yes." Then 
the angel asks: "Do you believe that 
I am willing to save you?'' The man 
looks at the kindly face of the angel and 
associates the look with the fact of 
his coming, and answers, "Yes, I believe 
you are willing to save me." The angel 
answers, "Then turn loose the vine and 
before you fall to the rocks below, I will 



30 The Children of the Highest 

lift you up." Now if the man turns 
loose, that is faith. 

I think that is one of the best pictures 
of faith I ever read. Then faith is just 
turning loose and depending on another 
to keep the promise. You tell a child 
to jump from the stairs into your arms. 
The little voice comes back: ^'Will you 
tech me?" You promise you will and 
the jump is made. That is pure faith. 
Go to God, dear reader, with your diffi- 
culty; repeat His promise to Him and 
simply depend on Him to fulfill that 
promise in your particular need. 



CHAPTER 5. 
"Service." 

The normal state of the Christian 
heart is to be serving the Master. A 
little child loves to do the things that 
please the parents, and naturally as 
children of the Highest we must serve 
in His Kingdom. Each child in the 
house of God must do a part just as 
each child in the earthly house does its 
share in the household duties. 

Jesus tells us in the 15th chapter of 
St. John that He is the vine, the Father 
is the husbandman, and we are the 
branches. Now grapes never grow on 
the vine — they always grow on the 
branches. Jesus sent His disciples out 
to win men, to bear fruit. He is the 
vine and all our strength we must draw 
from Him, but He gives us strength 
that we may win men to Him. Listen 
to Him as He adds: "Herein is My 
Father glorified, that ye bear much 
fruit; so shall ye be My disciples." How 
much He has trusted us! The whole 
work of winning men for the Kingdom 
has been left to His disciples. I wonder 

31 



32 The Children of the Highest 

how anyone can feel that they are good 
children and faithful to the master's 
best interest when they do not ever try 
to say a word for Him to the unsaved? 

He made service of such importance 
that He told the disciples that they 
were to be witnesses unto the uttermost 
part of the earth. He said also, "If any 
man serve Me him will My Father 
honor !'' There are many ways to serve 
the Master, but there is just one aim 
that we must strive for, and that is the 
salvation of the lost We may have the 
service of song, the service of prayer, 
the service of preaching, or we may 
serve by testimony; but whatever the 
particular service, we serve to save 
others. It is the purpose of our service 
to save the whole world for Jesus, and 
if only each Christian would follow out 
the Master's plan the whole world 
would come to the foot of the cross in 
a very short time. 

Here we see the common sense plan 
of religion again. The Master did not 
send us to the man farthest from us, 
but to the one next to us. To a school- 
mate, or a neighbor; someone who sits 
near you at church, or perhaps to a 
member of your own family. Jesus 



The Children of 4he Hiffheit 



gives US a very practical illustration of 
His service plan in' Matthe^lv'-: 13:33, 
where He tells about the wohian'who 
hid the lump of leaven in the flour. Now 
the leaven did not reach the farthest 
particles of flour, but the ones next to 
it; then that lump reached the next and 
that one the next and so on till the 
whole container was leavened. You 
must not wish for the privilege of 
reaching the far-away heathen, and 
thus waste your life waiting for an op- 
portunity of doing good, but go after 
that unsaved heart next to you. The 
soul you reach will in turn reach an- 
other soul and on and on, till the whole 
world has been saved. 

We will find also that this method has 
a world of power in it— this method of 
Personal Touch. I heard a very able 
minister say, recently: "If my eternal 
salvation depended on leading a thou- 
sand souls to Jesus and I only had a 
year in which to perform this service, 
I would go — not through the pulpit — 
but by the method of personal touch.'' 
It is the surest way. Oh, child of the 
Highest, you can be a personal worker 
if you will. 

Those who do personal work have 



34 TKe Children of ike Highest 

not only the satisfaction of seeing many 
results from their efforts for the Mas- 
ter, but there are also countless glorious 
results that will not be fully known till 
the judgment. Yea, eternity alone can 
tell what a grand harvest comes from 
this form of service to the Master. A 
most striking instance is given in the 
40th and 41st verses of the 1st chapter 
of St John's gospel. Andrew found 
Jesus, and then he sought his brother, 
Peter, and brought him to the Master. 
Now Andrew was never so famous a 
preacher as some of the others, BUT 
HE IS THE MAN WHO BROUGHT 
THE APOSTLE PETER TO THE 
CHRIST. What an honor! What a 
matchless service! Look at Peter on 
the day of Pentecost and those days 
following when so many thousands 
were converted. My dear reader, Jesus 
has chosen you to bear fruit for Him. 
You may never be great from the 
world's point of view, but you can lead 
some one to the Christ, and if you keep 
leading hungry hearts to Him, you will 
sometime lead someone who will be a 
a mighty warrior. It may be that you 
can lead someone who will sing for Him 
like Sankey, or Rodeheaver^ or preach 



The Children of the Highest 35 

like Moody, or Gypsy Smith, thus turn- 
ing millions of men to Him, because you 
did your part in humble personal work. 
It pays to do work for Jesus in lead- 
ing souls to Him. It pays big dividends 
of joy. It pays in priceless and unfad- 
ing honor. Listen to His word : "They 
that be wise shall shine as the bright- 
ness of the firmament; and they that 
turn many to righteousness as the stars 
forever and ever." The wealth of this 
world glitters, for only a short time. 
Where are the great riches of the rich 
young ruler who came to Jesus but 
would not follow after him ? How much 
better, had he laid up treasure where 
"moth and rust doth not corrupt, and 
thieves do not break through and 
steal" ! Alas, poor, rich man, thy riches 
have melted and vanished; but yonder 
on the other shore apostles and martyrs, 
the humble followers and personal 
workers, rejoice in that "joy unspeaka- 
ble and full of glory," for in the bank 
of Heaven they have gains that can not 
be counted in the figures of earth. Too 
many come to Jesus as did this young 
man of wealth, desiring His name, a 
home in Heaven or a place in the church, 
but unwilling to follow after Him. 



36 The Children of the Highest 

Oh, reader, break from you the idol that 
keeps you from giving yourself in 
whole-hearted service, and plunge into 
the golden field of service, and "thou 
shalt have treasure in Heaven." 

Personal work for Jesus can be done 
any time and any place. There are 
dozens of chances each day to speak a 
word for the Christ. I do not mean 
that you must go like the pharisee, with 
bowed head; nor that you shall spend 
your time asking people to get down in 
the street, or in their stores ^nd let you 
pray for them then and there. If you 
win men you must not appear unto men 
to fast. Just remember in your own 
heart that you are a witness for Jesus 
and you will find a way for witnessing 
for Him that will be very effective. A 
"no" to temptation, or "I can^t do that," 
are little expressions that speak for 
Jesus with a most eloquent appeal to 
the unsaved. They hear your voice, 
and believe in you, which leads them to 
love your Christ. There are times to 
ask a personal question like, "Are you a 
Christian?" or "Would you like for me 
to pray for you?" Yes, or even push 
the matter of salvation earnestly upon 
them. Jhese, however, are special op- 



The Children of the Highest 37 

portunities, which should be used in His 
name, but unless the way opens it is 
often best to wait until it does. 

I shall never forget driving through 
a skirt of woods in the Mississippi val- 
ley, one dark, cloudy day in mid-sum- 
mer, when an awful rainstorm drove 
me into a little tennant house for shel- 
ter. In that house was a young man, 
his wife and baby — a very cute baby, 
too. They were starting out to build a 
home and yet they neither knew God. 
The man yielded first and after I had 
prayed with him he gave his heart to 
God. His wife then handed the child 
to her husband, saying: "Here, Bob, 
take the baby.'* She knelt and surren- 
dered her life to Jesus, too. What a 
beautiful rainstorm! That rainstorm 
meant opportunity for service, and I am 
so glad the Holy Spirit opened the way 
and gave power. 

Let us go to God with this prayer: 
"Dear Lord, make me to know the 
sweetness of serving Thee ! Let me say 
something every day that will point 
someone to Jesus. Make me a winner 
of the souls of men and I shall be faith- 
ful to remember that always whatever 
I do or say, it is for Thy glory. Amen !'* 



CHAPTER 6. 
"Pawer." 

A child of the Highest has many priv- 
ileges and one of the most blessed of 
these is the gift of Power. Power to 
deal with men. Power that draws men 
to God. Such power that your words 
reach the unsaved and they can hardly 
resist following you to Jesus. 

One day in a church an infidel sat 
listening in a spirit of criticism. The 
minister preached an earnest sermon. 
One or two very able personal workers 
urged this man of doubt to seek the 
Lord, but their efforts were of no avail. 
Near the close of the service a little boy 
who had been converted in this meeting 
walked back and laid his hand on the 
skeptic's knee. I do not know that he 
said a word and if he did it was only a 
word spoken quietly, but that touch 
was full of power. The strong man 
followed that little boy to the altar and 
surrendered his life to Jesus. 

In another series of revival services 
a young lady stubbornly resisted Jesus. 
No power seemed able to touch her 

38 



The Children of the Highest 39 

hardened will. She laughed at each 
appeal made to lead her to surrender. 
In that community was another young 
lady who had lived a very quiet Chris- 
tian life. She had never given herself 
to personal work, but rather shrank 
from public service. One day after the 
girl with the hardened will stubbornly 
rejected the invitation of an older 
Ghristian, this quiet Christian girl 
walked back to her and reached out her 
hand; her lips quivered but she did not 
speak a word. The other girl looked at 
her a brief moment, took her hand, and 
followed her to the altar of prayer, 
where she willingly surrendered herself 
to God. Strange as ever these incidents 
may seem, they are true to the expe- 
rience of every child of the Highest who 
has followed the footprints that are 
marked in Blood. The one who follows 
close to Jesus, is the one who wins men, 
and as a soul winner he will see people 
yield when the appeal is so simple that 
they are surprised at the yielding. The 
appeal as far as the words may be con- 
cerned may be very weak, but there is 
in each of these instances an unuttered 
appeal that is so powerful as to break 
down the resisting will. Do not misun- 



40 The Children of the Highest 

derstand me. The human will is the 
strongest power on earth and if set 
against seeking Godj that will has 
power to turn every appeal away, for 
God does not save men against their 
will, but He does give his children power 
that will drive an appeal, whether 
spoken or unspoken, into the human 
heart with such force that they often 
use their will and choose God, because 
of this appeal. You need not expect a 
power that will break every will which 
you would lead to God, but thank God, 
there is a power that will make your 
work a grand success for God. 

Jesus meant for every one of his dis- 
ciples to have this power for He said, 
"Tarry ye in Jerusalem till ye be endued 
with power from on high.'' This power 
is yours, Christian, if you desire it. Do 
you want power? Then listen. Chris- 
tian, power is the Holy Ghost. There is 
no power without Him. God will use 
your service, but if you would have 
power with men you will find that 
power only by receiving the Holy Spirit. 
In Luke 24 :49, where Jesus tells them to 
tarry in Jerusalem, He tells them that 
He will send the promise of the Father 
upon them. Open your Bible in the first 



The Children of the Highest 41 

and second chapters of the Acts of the 
Apostles and you find that the disciples 
waited in Jerusalem and that they re- 
ceived power on the day of Pentecost, 
when they received the Holy Ghost. 

Would you receive the Holy Ghost 
you must take the two human steps, 
leaving Him to fulfill His promise. Just 
as you repented of your sin and believed 
Him to save you, so you must surrender 
your life, time, talents, everything to 
Him to use to His glory and in faith 
wait till He sends the baptism of the 
Holy Ghost upon you. 

Oh, what power that power is! 
Power to resist temptation ! Power to 
win men! Power to believe when the 
way is dark ! Oh, He will speak through 
you, convincing and convicting men. I 
ask. Christian, what corner in your 
heart is so dear that you will not let the 
Holy Ghost take possession? What 
thing in life so dear that you will not 
surrender it to His keeping? 

He was a saloonkeeper and kept one 
of the worst places in town. I talked to 
him often and urged him to let God use 
the rest of his life, but he would not 
yield. His wife was a quiet, consistent 
Christian. She was the cause of my 



42 The Children of the Highest 

talking to him. She desired his salva- 
tion most of all things, but he was not 
to be easily won. Finally, I urged her 
to surrender her life fully to the keep- 
ing of the Holy Ghost and receive Him, 
that she would have power to win her 
husband. Her surrender came and only 
a few days after it her husband was 
wonderfully converted from his sins. 
She had wanted me to talk to him at 
other times, but now she had power, and 
she, the quiet little woman, walked de- 
liberately to him in church and for the 
first time he sought God. A few days 
later as we talked about what God had 
done for him, he told me that it was 
through the influence of his wife that 
he came to Jesus. Yes, that touch of 
power was hers, and, reader, it is yours 
if you let God have complete right-of- 
way with your keeping. 



CHAPTER 7- 

"An Angel of Hope.'' 

If I were elected to a place among the 
angelic hosts, and the keeper of the 
heavenly records should ask me what 
kind of an angel I wanted to be, I think 
I would answer an "Angel of Hope.'' 
Should my request be granted and the 
angelic nature bestowed upon me, I 
would wing my way through the world 
whispering hope and cheer to all the 
children of men. I would find the soul 
bowed down with the heavy burden and 
shed such beautiful rays of Hope about 
him that the clouds would lift from his 
pathway. I would whisper a wonderful 
secret into each tired heart — the Chris- 
tion secret of Hope — and then watch the 
wrinkles and disappointed look flee 
away, while new life and smiles wreath 
festoons of Hope in the pilgrim's face. 
I would visit the hard-fought battlefield 
and gently touching the arm tired, or 
wounded in battle, point the way 
through the conflict to the peace that 
follows. I would find the soul on the 
verge of temptation and fix the hope 

43 



44 The Children of the Highest 

upon the throne by whispering "Hope 
thou in God." I would go to each prison 
eamp and give a word of hope to each 
one there. I would search for the sick 
and the afflicted and bring cheer and 
hope to them. It would be wonderful 
to be an angel of Hope. I am not sur- 
prised that the apostle told us Hope is 
one of the three greatest things in the 
world. 

Then I will be an angel of Hope. I 
may not have wings that I may fly as 
do the heavenly hosts, but I can walk 
and, though my feet grow tired, some- 
where on the path of life I shall find 
where a precious word of Hope will do 
its mission ; thus when I am gone it will 
be as though an angel had passed that 
way. 

There are so many angels that we 
may be like if we only will. A careful 
glance at the Bible will show that we 
are here to take up the work the angels 
once had to perform. In the Old Testa- 
ment we find that angels often ap- 
peared to men. They appeared during 
the life of Jesus, and when He had risen, 
but from that time we see them no more 
for their dispensation had passed. Then 
followers of the Christ took the work 



The Children of the Highest 45 

that once had been done by the super- 
human. Jesus said: "Greater works 
that these shall ye do because I go to 
my Father/' and again, "Ye shall be 
witnesses unto me." We also find in the 
second and third verses of the second 
chapter of the Hebrews that Paul 
speaks of the word brought by the 
angels being steadfast, and then He 
speaks of the word of men who wit- 
nessed our Lord's ministry being proven 
by signs and wonders. 

In a meeting one night a man started 
giving his testimony by saying : "There 
are two angels who follow me every day. 
They come very close to me and I have 
even learned their names. One is named 
Goodness, the other Mercy." Then he 
repeated : "Surely Goodness and Mercy 
will follow me all the days of my life 
and I shall dwell in the house of the 
Lord forever." 

So it becomes plain to us that we may 
do .the work of these angelic beings. 
Our calling is to be children of the 
Highest, and as His children we may so 
deal with men that our very lives will 
seem angelic to those who know us. Do 
you want to be an angel of GOOD- 
NESS? Then you must be good. Do 



46 The Children of the Highest 

you want to be an angel of Mercy ? Just 
remember to be merciful, for "Blessed 
are the merciful." I think one could be 
an angel of FAITH, ever inspiring those 
around them to believe. 

It would be grand to be an angel of 
LOVE, going out with a sword of love 
and killing hatred in angry hearts, that 
in its place may spring the flowers of 
LOVE. You can be an angel of love if 
you want to be. You can go out chang- 
ing the unlovely world into a world of 
love. You can whisper a message of 
love to those who know not the Master. 
You can bear to the heart torn in the 
excitement of conflict a whisper of love, 
then watch the restless heart grow 
quiet in the wonderful power that love 
gives. 

Isn't it wonderful how the Master has 
trusted us to be His message bearers? 
Whoever thou art, child of the High- 
est, you have some message that He 
expects you to bear. No one else can 
bear it for you. He has given it to you 
to bear for Him. He has made vou an 
Angel of FAITH, or LOVE, or HOPE. 

Dear Master, may this message of 
hope reach some one who will also take 
a message from Thee! 



CHAPTER 8. 

Sayings af I. M. Page, as Used in 

Addresses Tliraughout the 

United States. 

A home is not made by the magnifi- 
cence of the structure. It may be grand 
as a house and for all that not be a 
home. Or it may be but a cabin and 
contain a home that measures up to 
God's ideal. 

Stop and think, Parents! It has 
never occurred to you but that your 
boy will be the grandest man, or your 
daughter the sweetest and purest wo- 
man in the world. I am going to tell 
you right here just what your children 
are going to be. I will tell their for- 
tunes and not look into your hand to 
do it. They will be just exactly what 
the home back of them is. How do I 
know? I have been reading the oldest 
fortune telling book on earth. Here it 
is! (lifting the Bible.) It says: "What- 
soever a man soweth, that shall he also 
reap." You sow defects in the home 

47 



48 The Children of the Highest 

and you reap them in the lives of your 
children. 

Don't fix your eyes on your own peo- 
ple to the exclusion of all others. You 
must love all men! Pray for all races! 
There is no race gospel — ^if there was 
we all would be uneasy, but when the 
Holy Ghost made it a WHOSOEVER 
gospel that included every one of us 
who believes. 

The Home is so important in God's 
plan that every book that has ever been 
written contains some description of 
some home or some reference to it. The 
main theme of the Bible is the home 
theme. Perhaps you say, "No, the main 
theme of the Bible is the Blood?'' Lis- 
ten, brother, Jesus never would have 
died on the cross, had there not been a 
Home where He can take men in the 
end. 

The Devil has many big guns trained 
against the Home. The main aim is to 
wreck the virtue of the generation. 
Listen, Mother, his agents would pay 
big money for the ruin of that little girl 
of yours, and yet you do not watch what 



The Children of the Highest 49 

company she keeps. 

V *r* V *»* *** 

You may have the most beautiful res- 
idence in the state, filled with paintings 
from the masters, and all the musical 
instruments in the world, but be a 
HOMEless man. If you have a family 
altar and Christian character you 
have a home that will make itself felt 
after you are playing on your golden 
harp. 

The Devil is the handiest fellow in the 
world. It looks sometimes like he is 
standing around behind a telephone 
pole just ready to jump out with a new 
temptation when you are not looking 
for him, 

•!• •!• H* '♦• •«• 

It is often bravery to run. It is 
always the brave who run from temp- 
tation. I heard a minister telling about 
a little boy who was passing a fruit 
stand. He said : "When he felt himself 
almost reaching out to steal an apple, 
he whirled and ran as fast as he could. 
Turning the corner in his great haste 
he ran against a big man and knocked 
him down. That man was first angry, 
but when he learned that the little f el- 



50 The Children of the Highest 

low, who was from a poor family, had 
run to keep from stealing, he gave him 
an education. That boy afterward be- 
came a successful banker." 

1^ 1^ ^ ^ ife 

The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 
shows a vivid picture of man's dual na- 
ture. There is a Dr. Jekyll and a Mr. 
Hyde in us all. If you don't cultivate 
your better nature the Dr. Jekyll will 
one day leave you forever and the heart- 
less old Hyde will haunt your remaining 
days. 

^ ^' •{« ^ ^ 

There are two classes of people in 
this country — those who know the se- 
cret of love; and those who know only 
how to hate. The criminal hates. He 
wants vengeance on the Judge, the Jury 
and all the witnesses who had to do with 
sending him behind prison bars; but 
those whose lives are filled with the 
sweetness of love are anxious to lift men 
to where they will see the beauty of life. 
Do vou belong to the LOVE, or the 
HATE class? 

H» V V •?• ^ 

If the other fellow reached success, 
so can you. I guess you have heard the 
story of the two frogs who went walk- 



The Children of the Highest 51 

ing and fell into the jar of milk? Well, 
one got mad; swore that he wouldn't 
kick himself to death and drown too, 
so he went down. The other one kept 
kicking away. Finally the milk was 
churned; he crawled onto the cake of 
butter and jumped out to safety. 

^ >{* ^ ^ >jC 

I have been praying all the while that 
I would never sour. Brother, just keep 
sweet! The sourest thing in the world 
is the man or woman who complains at 
everything and everybody — they are 
human pickles. 

:{: ^ ^ ^ ^ 

The second time I visited the Niagara 
Falls, I lingered for hours in Victoria 
Park, gazing from the Canadian side 
upon their matchless glory. What a 
treat! Both those mighty Falls before 
your eyes at the same moment ! They 
go roaring and crashing over that gi- 
gantic precipice in all their wild majes- 
tic beauty. Wonderful Falls! Thou art 
a nation's boast! Fairest daughter of 
King Flumen! One of the greatest 
wonders of the world! Beauty incar- 
nate ! Voice of God, flow on ! Flow on, 
for thou hast answered every argument 
the infidel has ever produced. The in- 



52 The Children of the Highest 

fidel may scoff; the unbeliever continue 
in his unbelief; but moment by moment 
and age upon age thou art telling forth 
the majesty of Him who is thy creator! 
A crown of rainbows mark thee as His 
own. Thy peace, thy purity, thy swift 
course of life all tell of Him. Great, 
beautiful, wonderful, glorious Falls, 
thanks to thee for thy message, and all 
glory and praise to Him who gave it 
thee! 

Sfe alfi sic ^ stc 

Don't leave your church membership 
in one place while you live in another. 
The fellow who does that is like the 
soldier on furlough. Now the soldier 
on furlough is still a soldier. He even 
wears his uniform. Yes, you are still a 
Christian, for you have your garments 
of righteousness. But the soldier off 
on furlough has left his weapons of 
warfare behind him. He has nothing 
to fight with; and so with you. You 
left your influence in the town where 
you left your church membership. The 
old enemy, Satan, is not afraid of you, 
for you are an unarmed soldier of the 
cross. Come on down the aisle and get 
into the church ! Too much depends on 
it! You can't afford to wait longer! 



PREFACE TO 
'THE GIRL THAT DISAPPEARED." 



The story of The Girl That Disap- 
peared has been so popular that in a 
little more than two years fourteen 
thousand copiei^ have been sold, and 
countless letters have come to the au- 
thor expressing appreciation for the 
message it bears. It seems to have 
awakened many mothers and made 
them more careful as regards their 
own daughters; but it has done more. 
Young hearts have yearned for purer 
ideals. Some have felt an arrow of con- 
viction and surrendered their young 
lives to the Master. It is therefore with 
the feeling that it may save some moth- 
er's heart from being broken, or some 
untrained feet from the wrong path 
that we send it out in this new form. 

People often ask : "How came you to 
write it?" "Did it really happen?" etc. 



53 



Yes, it really happened once, twice, 
many times. A letter was handed to the 
author one day from a broken hearted 
minister and father. That letter is the 
foundation of the story as it follows, 
except that some literary color has been 
used in some places in order to make 
more forceful the teaching of its pages. 
The reader will also bear in mind that 
for the family's sake, the name Flora 
Johnson is used instead of the name in 
the original letter. 

With a prayer that this message may 
continue to be used of the Master, 
I am sincerely, 
ISAAC MARSHALL PAGE. 



54 



CHAPTER 1. 
*'The Slave Trader and His Wark/' 

Before me sat a girl about twenty 
years of age. There were traces of her 
youthful beauty, and yet she was pre- 
maturely old. A discolored portion of 
flesh near her eyes and here and there 
a wrinkle told the sad story of what 
drugs can do in marring beauty. 

"Yes," she said, "I have been a 'White 
Slave,' and, after hearing you lecture 
last night, I determined to tell you my 
life story, that you may tell it to the 
world. If the people of the United 
States knew as well as I do the need of 
the work you are doing, you would not 
have to ask for money to aid in the 
work. They would mail it to you. They 
would shower it at your feet before you 
could finish lecturing. Tell my fate to 
the world, that other girls may escape 
these traps that have ruined me and so 
many other pure, innocent girls. "^ 

"You are wise," I said, "and good, 
too. I shall be glad to hear your life 
story in all of its details." 

"I was born," she continued, "in one 

55 



56 The Girl That Disappeared 

of the Southern states, in the home of a 
Methodist preacher. We moved every 
four years, but seldom oftener than 
that. In fact, I cannot remember that 
we ever moved oftener, except when 
one of the leading men of the conference 
died and papa was appointed to take 
his place. Yes, it was hard to break 
away from friends and acquaintances, 
but new ones were soon found. 

"My school preparation was good. I 
had finished at the high school and was 
nearly through the first year in college 
when it happened — 

"Oh!" she cried, as the hot tears 
rushed into her eyes. Then a new light 
came into her face and she exclaimed: 
"But I can't help it. I am the same pure 
girl I was when I was at home! Every- 
body seemed to love me then. 

"Well," she continued, "I had ad- 
vanced rapidly in school, and had put in 
much time at music and art under the 
best private teachers to be had. I had 
finished seven grades in music, and was 
naturally adapted to it. I could repro- 
duce most any piece from the masters 
on hearing it two or three times. In 
art I seemed to have a special gift, and 
my best time had been given to it from 



The Girl That Disappeared 57 

the time I was six or seven years of age. 
I had made many drawings that sur- 
prised my teachers. Then, I had made 
many reproductions from life and 
landscapes that were so like the orig- 
inals that everyone recognized them 
who knew the subjects.'' 

**Were you a Christian?" I asked. 

"Oh, yes,'' she replied, "I was con- 
verted early and taken into the church 
by my father. I had much religious 
zeal, and was a leader among the young 
people in church work. I was also a 
teacher in the Sunday school from the 
time I was fifteen years old. The Young 
People's Society used me in its mission- 
ary and entertainment departments. 

"In all this I took the greatest de- 
light. I had also been successful in 
revival meetings in bringing many of 
my friends into the church." 

Again the tears burst from her large 
brown eyes, and between sobs she said: 

"Those days are gone! They are the 
sweetest vision my poor, broken mem- 
ory retains! Oh, mother, mother, why 
didn't you warn ?" 

She leaned forward and buried her 
face in her hands. 

"You must be calm," I said. "It is 



58 The Girl That Disappeared 

not good for you to do like that. You 
are a little nervous this morning, and 
talking to a stranger excites you. You 
must be calm, for I am your friend." 

"I know it," she said, as she straight- 
ened up. Then, smiling, she said : 

"You are not a stranger; you are a 
brother. For it was a man who works 
for your association who rescued me. 

"It was in the month of April," she 
continued, "when we were taking exam- 
inations and getting ready for com- 
mencement week at the college. (I was 
then nearly eighteen years of age.) A 
gentleman came to our house and told 
papa he was working for a school of art 

in D . He represented the school 

as being a preparation to the greatest 
art school in Paris, France. He was a 
young man, about twenty-five years of 
age. His face and head showed supe- 
rior intelligence. He was very hand- 
some and dressed in the latest styles of 
the day. He said : 'Miss Roberts (who 
was one of my art teachers) tells us of 
your daughter/ Then he produced one 
of my paintings — where he got it I 
don't know — and said: 'This picture 
was sent to the faculty as a picture 
painted by a 17-year-old girl. They 



it f 

u <1 



The Girl That Disappeared 59 

graded the work and were astonished to 
find that such a difficult drawing graded 
99 points — and that by a girl so young. 
The matter was brought before the at- 
tention of the school board and they im- 
mediately voted her a free scholarship. 
Then they wrote me, as I am their rep- 
resentative in this state, to come and tell 
you of this good fortune.' 

" *What is the value of the scholar- 
ship?' my father asked. 

Tive hundred dollars,' he replied. 
^How'many free scholarships do you 
give?' asked my father. 

" 'A rare thing that we give any. This 
is the second one in the seven years the 
school has been running.' , 

"* When does the school open?' father 
queried. 

" Tn two weeks,' responded the man. 

"Papa had always wanted me to be 
an artist, and it was fixed in his mind 
at that moment — I was to enter the 
Paris Art Academy for the summer 
term. But papa was not a man to be 
taken in at a moment's notice. This 
man must show papers. 

"He had the papers, the strongest 
endorsements one could ask. He had 



60 The Girl That Disappeared 

even the letter he claimed the school 
had written him. 

"This man stayed in my father's 
house for a day and a night, then left 
with his promise to send me to the 
school. I came home that afternoon 
from the college with spirits high. My 
examinations were easy, and I was de- 
lighted in thinking I would make such 
good grades. In ten minutes the whole 
plan was before me. My heart rose to 
its zenith. That was what I had longed 
for. That night I could not sleep for 
joy. The two weeks would not pass 
soon enough. Earth became a paradise, 
and all was joy and delight. 

'The year's work was over, and one 
of my teachers was going with me as far 

as T . Papa had written a letter 

of thanks to the school, and they had 
responded in a very complimentary let- 
ter and cautioned him of the danger of 
a young lady traveling alone. They 
asked the very train of my arrival, to 
which he answered in detail. 

The school proved to be a whit^ 
slave station to procure young girla; 
but they had school stationery, and 
there was no room left for doubt in 
any of our minds. 



The Girl That Disappeared 61 

"The way was delightful, for my 
teacher, Miss Roberts, was full of life. 

When my train left T I was a little 

lonesome, but that was easily driven 
away in the happy thoughts of the fu- 
ture days at school. 

"When we were near D an elder- 
ly woman got on the train, and, after 
looking carefully over the girl passen- 
gers, came to me and said: 

"Is this Miss Flora Johnson?' 

" It is,' I replied. 

"She sat down by me and, as she was 
taking her place, said, *The school sent 
me to meet you.' 

"My confidence was perfect. Inno- 
cent child that I was, I did not dream 
that I was being hurled to my ruin, nor 
that the motherly old woman by my side 
was a viper so poisonous that every 
word she spoke was tainted by the ven- 
om of her tongue. 

"The train stopped at a little station 
near the city. 'We will get off here and 
take an auto, for we are near the col- 
lege,' said the woman. We were soon in 
an auto, driven by a red-faced man with 
mean, piercing eyes, which hurried us 
across country for miles and miles. It 
was getting dark when we entered the 



62 The Girl That Disappeared 

city, but we were soon stopping in front 
of a large, three-story house, one of the 
finest I had ever seen. As we were get- 
ting out of the car, the woman said to 
the driver, in a low voice, ^Come up to 
311 in about an hour, for you may be 
needed. I was carried to the third 
story of the building and was taken in- 
to room 311. The woman started as if 
to enter with me, but when I was well 
in the room she stepped back quickly, 
slammed the door and locked it from the 
outside. 

'The sudden noise frightened me out 
of my wits. I turned quickly and tried 
the door, but it was locked. I ran to the 
windows, but they were fastened. If 
they had not been, I was high up, in 
the third story and, as I learned when 
daylight came, there was no fire escape. 
'What does this mean?' thought I. Then 
there rushed into my mind some awful 
things I had read in a white slave book. 
Yes, I had read them, but did not be- 
lieve them. 

"Just then the door opened, and two 
women dressed in the strangest half- 
nude costume came in. They told me 
where I was and what I would have to 
submit to. I screamed, and cried, and 



The Oirl That Disappeared 63 

begged. They told me to remove my 
clothing. At this command, my blood 
rushed to my head, and I rushed for the 
window, determined to jump through 
the glass and kill myself on the ground 
below, but as I would have leaped 
through the window they seized me, 
threw me on to the floor and took off 
every particle of clothing from my 
body. I fought with all my might, but 
they overcame and threw me helplessly 
upon the bed and held me. The door 
opened and the same hackdriver came 
into the room. I pleaded for cover to 
conceal my form, but this was answered 
by a taunting laugh. I saw the demon 
face of the auto-driver coming nearer. 
I smelled the hot, whisky-fumed breath ; 
then I fainted and knew nothing more 
till the bright, sad light of day streamed 
into my prison. 

"Awaking, I heard the rustle of cloth- 
ing,'' she continued, "and I opened my 
eyes only in time to see the cruel hack- 
driver leaving the room. Oh, I tried to 
believe it a dream, a night mare; but, 
no ; it was true ; I was a ruined girl. 

"I heard the door lock as that cruel 
beast walked out. I was a prisoner, 
and knew not what to do. Then I re- 



64 The Girl That Disappeared 

solved to again try to leap through the 
window and kill myself. I strained 
every nerve in my attempt to move, 
but I could not rise. Acute pains and a 
strange weakness held me. 

" 'Oh, papa ! papa !'' I cried, *If you 
only knew my fate, and where I am, 
you would get me out of this awful 
place !' But papa was too far from me. 



CHAPTER 2. 

"A Ray of Hope/' 

"Soon a bloated-faced woman stood 
over me and offered me food, but I 
could not eat I could not have swal- 
lowed a bite had I tried. My very throat 
seemed swelled together. It was days 
before I swallowed food, for I had re- 
solved I would die of starvation to 
escape a life of shame. Near night 
I became so thirsty I was nearly 
perished for water. They brought 
it to me, but the water was drugged, 
and I was soon under a helpless sleep, 
from which I awoke only in time 
to see some man dressing and leav- 
ing the room. Each morning the 
same thought of suicide rushed to my 
mind. In a few mornings I awoke to 
see a demon face gleaming at me, even 
more horrid than that of the hack- 
driver. He dressed hastily and left. I 
was still dazed by all this, but it was 
real. As that door slammed and locked, 
I said: Tm getting weaker every day; 
surely, I will not have to last long.' 
Then I thought of God, and said : 'Lord, 

65 



66 The Girl That Disappeared 

forgive me; I have forgotten Thee in 
this calamity. Do let me die before an- 
other night, I pray Thee/ A moment 
later my eyes closed to the world and a 
beautiful angel stooped over me. Then 
I seemed to be floating up through the 
air. The old, wicked city looked like a 
speck below me. A current of wind 
blew in beneath me and wafted me up- 
ward. For several minutes I mounted 
on this buoyant breeze. I looked, and 
nothing was in sight that was unpleas- 
ant. About me was a multitude of 
beautiful worlds. In the center of the 
beautiful complexus was a sight more 
beautiful than language can paint. It 
was a beautiful golden city. I rose a 
little higher and stepped on the pret- 
tiest street I ever saw. Before me were 
two pearly gates. These gates were 
wide open and I walked through. Yes, 
it was heaven, and I am going there," 
she exclaimed, as her face lighted up 
with a new joy, and she continued: 

"The throne of the Lord and His 
Christ were in the midst of it, and from 
the throne burst forth a river of salva- 
tion. Flowers, trees and mansions of 
heavenly architecture were so wonder- 
fully blended as to fill my enraptured 




I looked, and nothing was in sight that was unpleasant/ 



The Girl That Disappeared 67 

heart with wonder. Then there were 
beautiful angels moving here and there, 
and all were so happy. I turned around 
and, to my delight, there was a table 
spread with everything pleasant to the 
taste of man. I felt so tired that I sat 
down to rest on one of the dining 
couches by the table. A lovely angel 
stooped over me and offered me the 
food, dish by dish. Then a great hunger 
seized me and, as I would have taken 
the food from the angel's hand, I awoke 
and found it was all a dream. But there 
stood the old, bloated-face woman with 
food for my breakfast. Then a new 
thought seized me. I didn't want to 
die. I wanted to live. Just then the 
old woman's lips quivered, and she said : 
*Dear, you are going to die if you don't 
eat, and I have fixed you the nicest 
breakfast I could.' It was not so tempt- 
ing as the food in my dream, but I was 
hungry. Then, I felt that I would have 
a chance to get out, for my dream must 
betoken good. So I ate, and enjoyed my 
breakfast. My heart was large with 
hope, and I was glad all day. Something 
was going to happen for my good. I 
could not get enough to eat, and they 
were careful about what they gave me. 



68 The Girl That Disappeared 

In fact, I think," she said, "my keepers 
were afraid I would die. That day they 
did not give me the usual drug, nor was 
anyone turned into my room that night. 
I was happy for some reason, I knew 
not why. 

"I was too weak to rise, but soon fell 
into a refreshing sleep, almost free of 
dreams. It must have been three o'clock 
in the morning when I was suddenly 
awakened by two women, who dragged 
me from bed and told me to obey orders 
or they would kill me. I was carried to 
a blind door in my room and put into a 
chute (or small, concealed elevator,) 
and lowered into the basement. In less 
than ten minutes about a dozen young 
girls were lowered and placed in this 
same room. It was a dismal affair. 
Nothing but a dim light was there by 
which to see. I looked about for doors, 
but there were none. Neither was 
there a window. A mean, masculine- 
looking woman was with us and said: 
'Girls, there is a band of men searching 
the house, and if one of you makes a 
sound ril kill you.' What were they 
searching for? I wondered. Soon I 
heard the trample of men on the floor 
above my head. 'Maybe it's papa,' 



The Girl That Disappeared 69 

thought I. I cleared my throat, so 
he could hear. The madam's face put 
on a frown, but she did not say any- 
thing. There was a dead silence up- 
stairs for nearly a minute, which was 
soon broken by my father's voice, as he 
said, That's Flora.' My heart leaped 
with emotion. I tried to call out to him, 
but I was too full to speak. Then, be- 
fore I could gain my composure, the 
hand of the old matron was upon me, 
and a gag was fastened into my mouth, 
so that I could not speak even in a 
whisper. I could hear the footfalls 
above me. I could hear papa say to 
someone, 'She must be in here.' Then 
they would search about over the place. 
I must have been kept in this gagged 
condition with those girls down in that 
old moldy basement for full two hours 
when a woman called and said, 'They 
are gone !' 

"The dinky elevator got busy again, 
and we were taken up to our rooms. 
Here I slept for about three hours, un- 
disturbed, except that in my dreams I 
could still hear my father's voice and 
his footsteps. Then I would try to an- 
swer, but the heavy gag would prevent 



70 The Girl That Disappeared 

me. (The gag had been removed, but 
I felt it still in my dreams.) 

*lt was about eight in the morning 
when I awoke, and as I opened my eyes 
a strange thought of freedom came in- 
to my mind. I arose and dressed, but 
was still weak from the orgies that had 
broken me down. That day my door 
was unlocked, and I was permitted to 
go out into the halls of the building, 
which I did as much as my little 
strength would allow. That night I 
slept well and dreamed a sweet dream 
of going back home and of seeing Mor- 
ris (my old schoolmate), who took me 
walking and asked me to become his 
wife. Then I awoke, just as the sun 
began to peep in at my window. I arose 
and dressed, and felt well and strong 
again. After eating the breakfast 
brought to my room, I was told that I 
might have my liberty to go anywhere 
about the house. But I was in nude 
costume, and all my pleadings did not 
bring my street clothing. Besides, they 
told me that if I should escape as I was 
I would be arrested and put to work 
with a bunch of men on rock piles, and 
that with but little clothing. I thought 
that was true, for girls my age don't 



The Girl That Disappeared 71 

know much about the law; and I just 
walked about the hall and to the other 
rooms, visiting the other girls. Mean- 
time I hoped for deliverance, for it must 
come somehow. 

"I learned the story of every girl in 
the 'art schoor (?). 

"One of these was a beautiful girl 
from Wichita. She had been taken 
while on her way home from school, in 
a hack, under promise of being carried 
home; and, as it was raining, she ac- 
cepted. The hackdriver sold her for ten 
dollars to a dive, from which she had 
been shipped to this slavery mart and 
sold for fifty dollars. 

"I met another girl who was there 
from San Antonio. She had been drug- 
ged while in a cafe with a young man, 
and awoke in a house of shame, from 
which she was shipped to this slavery 
market. The trapper had a little syr- 
inge between his fingers, with which he 
squirted the drug into her coffee, while 
she was not noticing. 

"There was another girl there who 
had been trapped from her father's 
farm in Oklahoma, under promise of 
marriage to a handsome young man, 



72 The Girl That Disappeared 

and was brought here and sold for sixty 
dollars. 

"Yet another was there from Corpus 
Christi. The slaver had a girl employed 
who invited her to go for an auto ride, 
and when about twenty miles from town 
the auto stopped and she was dragged 
to her ruin by the supposed sweetheart 
of the girl who invited her. She was 
shipped to this same mart by vice-keep- 
ers in this town. 

^'Still another, from a small town in 
Colorado, was lured to Denver under 
promise of a position in an office, ad- 
dressing postal cards. When she ap- 
plied at the office address given the door 
was slammed and she was kept in this 
office three days without a bite to eat. 
She was shipped to Kansas City, and 
then sold to this slavers' mart. 

"All of these girls were very young, 
and most of them were real pretty. I 
saw a large whip in almost every room. 
Two or three girls had whip cuts on 
their nude limbs; others a gash on their 
heads. One had severe knife cuts on her 
throat. All of these cruel cuts were in- 
flicted with whips, knives, etc., because 
these girls would not obey orders to 
submit to their ruin, I gathered the 



The Girl That Disappeared 73 

whole story of more than a dozen girls, 
and returned to my room at night as- 
tonished that human beings could be so 
cruel. 

"About midnight my door was opened 
and two attendants came into my room, 
dressed my hair and painted my face. 
They threw a thin costume about me, 
which was a poor excuse for cloth- 
ing. I was marched into a room with 
twenty or more other young girls. 
There a man, of fair complexion, tall, 
and with a little brown beard, stood 
watching us march in. I drew back 
from his presence, but a stinging cut 
from the whip drove me into line. 

"After carefully looking over the 
whole line of girls, he said to the old 
matron, I'll give you $3,000 for six of 
them, if I may have choice of the bunch.* 
The old matron consented, and he chose 
me, also five other girls. We were or- 
dered to dress. This I did willingly, for 
I hoped to escape, by this, some way. 

"We were ordered into a large auto 
and guarded. A whizz and a buzz, and 
we were moving away. 

"I could not tell which direction the 
auto was moving, but at high speed we 
were recklessly dashed along for about 



74 The Girl That Disappeared 

four hours. Then the driver turned the 
car from the road out into the brush, 
and took a winding route for about a 
mile, stopping every few steps to clear 
something out of the way. The day was 
dawning when we stopped. A few blan- 
kets were spread upon the ground. We 
were permitted to rest here through 
tha day. Poor meals were prepared 
by male hands, and so we ate and slept. 
But, oh, it was a horrid day! All that 
is unpleasant and unfair to womanhood 
befell us. Then we were so guarded as 
to make privacy impossible.'' 



CHAPTER 3. 
"A Broken-Hearted Mother." 

A dream of this horrible picture 
caused a mother back in the old south- 
ern states to awaken from sleep and 
toss upon her pillow while thoughts of 
a daughter who had disappeared ran 
through her mind till the tears fell up- 
on the pillow and moistened the hair 
now prematurely gray. By morning 
she was seriously sick. A doctor was 
called in the early morning, but pre- 
scribed a light course of medicine, and 
pronounced the case a! puzzling one. 
Near nine o'clock the sick woman seem- 
ed a little better and, calling her hus- 
band, said: 

"I am so sick my burden is too great 
for me to bear." "Yes, wife," said Rev. 
Jeremiah Johnson ; "it would be better 
she were dead than sold into this living 
death; but what more can we do? Sev- 
en hundred dollars have we spent; ten 
large cities have we searched ; eight or 
nine detectives have we employed, and 
yet not a single clue. I never dreamed 
that the slavers could so completely 

75 



76 The Girl That Disappeared 

hide their evil deeds. But we must try- 
to forget Try to eat the breakfast I 
have brought you, and I will go and get 
Sister Elliot to come and see you for a 
while." 

Heart-breaking cares had written 
their dramatic story about the face and 
upon the hair of this noble servant of 
Christ. Taunted by so many perplex- 
ities, he did not realize the danger of 
his faithful companion. Better so, per- 
haps, for a true, faithful soul like his 
had burdens enough, and then Mrs. El- 
liot would soon be pouring her sympa- 
thetic soul out in watchfulness and 
service by the bedside of the grief -pros- 
trated mother. 

The Elliots were lifelong friends of 
the Johnson family and, by some 
strange chance, had been members of 
Rev. Johnson's church for fourteen 
years. When conference moved Rev. 
Johnson, Sidney Elliott would make a 
business deal so that he could locate his 
family in the same town where the 
Johnsons were sent. Then Morris, their 
eldest son, and Flora had played to- 
gether from childhood. 

In a few moments after Rev. Jere- 
miah Johnson returned, Mrs. Eleanor 




"Well, Sister Johnson," exclaimed Mrs. Elliott, "everything 
goes wrong with us here lately." 



The Girl That Disappeared 77 

Elliot entered the sickroom with tears 
streaming from her eyes. 

"Oh, don't cry," said Mrs. Johnson, 
as her friend entered the room. "Fm 
not going to die, for Fm better now.'' 

"Well, Sister Johnson," exclaimed 
Mrs. Elliot, "everything goes wrong 
with us here lately. Guess you knew 
Morris has left home?" 

"No, I didn't. Tell me why. Has 
he " 

"Oh, he has been so heart-broken 
about Flora's disappearing, you know. 
He has been too nervous and restless 
to exist for weeks. He said he was go- 
ing west, but I would not let him. He 
told us of an awful dream he had about 
Flora last night, then only ate a bite of 
breakfast, and left on a west-bound 
train." 

"What did he dream?" asked the sick 
woman, as she raised her head hope- 
fully. 

"Oh, he dreamed he was hunting in 
a dense wood and found Flora guarded 
by a band of white slave traders." 

"I dreamed that same dream !" sobbed 
Mrs. Johnson. 

Mrs. Elliot bent over and took the 



78 The Girl That Disappeared 

sick woman in her arms, and they wept 
together. 

'^Morris Elliot has played the silly, 
and gone west," laughed Charles Rog- 
ers, as he haughtily tossed his head and 
walked among the men in front of Rob- 
erts & Allison Mercantile Company. 

"Yes," said Don Jackson; *'but let 
him go. He's too good to play pool, 
or cards, or for anything else worth 
while." 

"I say boys," slowly replied Uncle Joe 
Allison, as he stood in the store door 
and listened to the idle conversation; 
"I say Morris Elliot may not be much 
at such stuff as that, but he's the clean- 
est business man, the neatest book- 
keeper and best salesman that I have 
had in my house in all these years IVe 
been in business." 

What a stinging rebuke to these idle 
sons of luxury! Don Jackson was 
brought up in a rich home and was 
never sent to church, nor taught any- 
thing beside his school duties and the 
delicate social games that breed all the 
vices. Charles Rogers' father w^as a 
good business man and a constant 
churchgoer, but he had permitted social 



The Girl That Disappeared 79 

cards in his home. Charles had learned 
church and cards together. Both boys 
had become dudes. Don was a gambler. 
Charles was suspicioned by some of the 
men as doing unchristian things, al- 
though he was at church once every two 
weeks. 

Uncle Joe Allison had spoken kindly, 
but it was an overwhelming rebuke. 
For a minute no one spoke, then the 
crowd moved away. 

'^Charley Rogers,'^ angrily growled 
Don, as they walked up the street, "you 
are a coward for letting that old guy 
sting us like that! Master your nerve, 
and we will break into his safe tonight 
and take pay for the way he indirectly 
puts us down and takes up for that 
churchgoing Morris ElKot." 

"Oh, but what if we are caught up 
with? And then I don't like that idea, 
anyway," said Charles, as they turned 
the corner by the Allison residence. 

"Well, that is dangerous," said Don ; 
"but Fm gambled flat, and Fve got to 
have some money." 

At this moment Nell Allison crossed 
the street and entered her father's 
house, bowing politely to the boys as she 
passed. 



80 The Girl That Disappeared 

"Charley," said Don, as he hit him on 
the shoulder (this movement caused a 
letter to fall from Don's pocket), 
"there's the prettiest girl in Rosewood, 
since Flora Johnson skipped." 

"Yes, and she's as good as she is pret- 
ty," replied Charley. 

"Good nothing! She's like any other 
girl, only she is good enough to bring 
about $300 as a white slave. You make 
a date with her, and I'll meet you as 
you come in from the party tomorrow 
night; the gig-wheel will quit, and all's 
up— understand ?" 

"I'll be an accomplice in no such af- 
fair!" replied Charles. 

"But I say you will !" retorted Don. 

"No, I can't; that is worse than as- 
sault, and Nell is pure and innocent," 
painfully answered Charles. 

Don frowned scornfully, then said in 
a positive manner, "Charley Rogers, 
you know I could ruin you. You will 
do as I say, or I'll tell what I know!" 

"Tell it!" replied Charley. "You're 
as guilty as I am. The day you ruin me 
you ruin yourself." 

"Not much, Mr. Rogers!" laughed 
Don. "I may be more guilty, but I've 
implicated you in such a way that it will 



The Girl That Disappeared 81 

seem that you are wholly to blame." 

Charles dropped his head, then sighed 
deeply. 

'Tou know ni do it, Charley?" 

"Yes," slowly replied Charles. "But, 
for God's sake, don't get me into any- 
thing else!" 

"You'll do as I say," persisted Don. 

The date was arranged, and as 
Charles and Nell came home from a 
pleasant evening their auto came to a 
sudden stop. Don Jackson leaped into 
the car and dashed a strange chemical 
into Nell's face which put her to sleep. 

"What are you stopping for?" shout- 
ed someone in the darkness behind 
them. 

Don fled in fright. Charles dashed 
the auto forward and soon stopped in 
front of the Allison residence. Opening 
the gate, he entered, with a resolve to 
tell her parents all, and why. As his 
feet would have touched the step, he 
thought of the indirect rebuke. Turn- 
ing slowly, he walked to the gate. There 
he stood trembling with fear. 

Then a new thought seized him. "I'll 
lay her on the porch, and when they find 
her they will think she fainted as she 
entered the door." 



82 The Girl That Disappeared 

This thought was executed quickly, 
and he dashed away to spend a rest- 
less, sleepless night, regretting that he 
had not chosen Morris Elliot as a com- 
panion instead of Don Jackson. 

Nell was soon found by her anxious 
parents, who put her to bed and called 
Dr. Morgan. 

"What's the trouble with the child, 
doctor ?'' asked Uncle Joe in his plain 
way. 

"Shall I tell you the truth, Mr. Alli- 
son?" nervously asked the doctor. 

"Sure; why not?" asked Uncle Joe, 
in astonishment. 

"Well, she has been drugged with a 
drug that is used by a very bad class of 
people— but she will soon come out from 
under the power of it and be herself 
again." 

A few orders, and the doctor was 
gone. 

Uncle Joe sat gazing upon his daugh- 
ter with an anxious look, while his good 
wife rubbed Nell's hands and cried. 

In a few hours Nell tossed her hands, 
then her head; her eyes opened, and she 
asked, "Where am I?" 



The Girl That Disappeared 83 

"You are at home, dear," answered 
her mother, as she stroked her hair and 
kissed her. 

Late in the morning, as Uncle Joe left 
the house for his day's work, he saw a 
piece of paper hanging to a side of the 
walk where it chanced to catch as it fell 
from Don's pocket. Thinking it to be 
a paper he had lost. Uncle Joe placed it 
carelessly in his pocket and went on to 
his store. 



CHAPTER 4. 
"Lost in the Desert.'* 

"I don't want to be tedious/* contin- 
ued Flora, "but I know you can tell my 
sad story to others, and it will be a 
blessing to girls all over America." 

"Not a bit tedious; teH me all your 
story, for I am interested more than 
you know," I replied. 

"Well," she continued, "at nightfall 
we were ordered into the automobile, 
and after getting out of the brush the 
autos hurriedly dashed across the prai- 
ries till day was dawning again. Then 
they turned into the brush for another 
day^srest. This continued for days. At 
last we were taken into a mining town 
in New Mexico and kept in a house 
where description could not portray the 
horrors which followed. 

"Old thoughts of suicide came to me 
again. I wept, prayed and begged for 
deliverance, but all in vain. I was here 
but a few days when the keepers either 
became frightened or had a large price 
offered for me, and put me into a guard- 
ed auto, to be sent to El . By this 

84 



The Girl That Disappeareh 85 

time I had learned the absolute heart- 
lessness of slave traders, and though 
they threatened the life of the girl who 
tried to escape, I determined to escape 

from the auto before we reached El 

even if they did shoot me down. There 
were two other girls in the auto with 
me, and we were guarded by two men. 
Many times I planned to leap from the 
auto, but courage failed me. At last, 
as we were running over a narrow pass 
among the hills, both men were looking 
forward at the road and, unnoticed, I 
arose and leaped headlong from the 
moving car. This threw me on my side 
and I felt as if my ribs were broken. I 
was stunned by the blow, but I must 
not lay there, as they would find me. 
As I rose to my feet, I heard the driver 
call out: 

"'Catch her r 

"It was dark as pitch, but I plunged 
forward down a little bank. I heard the 
trapper's footsteps behind me, and so I 
ran with all my might to escape him. In 
running I ran against a desert cactus. 
Oh, my hands ached and I almost 
cried out with pain, but I dared not. 
Just then I heard the sound of a falling 
body and dirt rolling down the embank- 



86 The Girl That Disappeared 

ment. The vampire had fallen. Oh, the 
bitter oaths he repeated ! Then he rose 
and struck a match. Had he been look- 
ing the right way he would have seen 
me, but fortunately he was gazing in 
another direction. By aid of the light 
I stepped easily between two large clus- 
ters of cactus and laid down. He must 
have struck a dozen matches before he 
gave up the search. Once he was so 
close that the light dazzled my eyes but 
still he did not see me. In about half 
an hour I heard the auto moving away 
and I felt relieved to be alone, lost in the 
desert at midnight, rather than in com- 
pany with such wolves as they." 

"I was conscious that on the desert 
could be heard the cry of coyotes and 
evidence of other animal life, dangers 
to young girls who were alone, but I 
iJid not fear death. Being devoured by 
a pack of wolves meant so little in com- 
parison to the greater danger I had just 
escaped, that after praying to God a 
prayer of thanksgiving for my escape, I 
pillowed my head on the sand and fell 
into a refreshing sleep, from which I 
did not awake till daybreak on a west- 
ern desert 

"Awaking, I felt so greatly refreshed 



The Girl That Disappeared 87 

and free from pain that I leaped to my 
feet and uttered a loud cry of freedom. 

"Yes, my hands still burned with 
pain," she continued, "from contact 
with the cactus, but a little sting of pain 
like that did not detract in the least 
from my pleasure. 

"I was free. What more could I ask? 
Even the desert, shorn of all its vege- 
tation by the burning sun, except here 
and there a cluster of cactus, a wild 
vine or a Mexican dagger, became a 
veritable Eden." 

"But this thought was greatest in my 
mind, I must keep my freedom. To do 
this I must avoid the auto road, for the 
slavers would likely return this way to 
the mining camp. So I started in an- 
other direction across the trackless 
desert and this not without method. I 
sighted my path by clusters of cactus 
or a Mexican soap weed and in this way 
tried to avoid getting lost. 

"I determined to reach El and 

tell some good woman my story, work 
for my board till I could wire papa, and 
there wait till he could come after me. 
My heart grew larger, moment by mo- 
ment, with this sweet hope, 'I have not 
lived in vain/ The burning sand and 



88 The Girl That Disappeared 

the heat of the sun did not detract the 
least from my heart's delight, for surely 
I was born to a new life. 

"Tired and hungry I laid down at 
nightfall on the desert sand and fell into 
a refreshing sleep. A sleep that was 
filled with dreams of youth and the old 
times. In my dreams I saw papa bend- 
ing over me, then lifting me in his arms, 
I even dreamed of going home and hav- 
ing mother kiss me good night. Then 
the flowers were in bloom, and I a child 
once more. Morris was at the parson- 
age, and we played *hide-and-seek' 
among the honeysuckles. Then we 
seemed to be a young couple in our 
first love and as we stood by the honey- 
suckles I plucked a cluster of their 
lovely blooms, and timidly pinned them 
on his coat, while he smiled at me in 
answer, and hesitatingly said, Tlora, I 
love you.' 

"But I awoke with the dawn to find it 
but a dream. My heart ached within 
me when I found it was not real. I 
brushed away the tears and prayed: 
Tather, may it be so some dayl' 

"I tooked about me till I found my di- 
rection, and though weak with hunger, 
I hastened on my way." 



The Girl That Disappeared 89 

"After three hours of weary travel 
I entered a Mexican hut, and by signs 
expressed to the woman that I was hun- 
gry. She set me down a large bowl of 
frijoles (beans) and some rough cakes 
of tortilla. I ate, thanked her, and took 
my leave." 



CHAPTER 5. 
"The Trial/' 

Now, reader, we will glance again at 
the little city of Rosewood. There is a 
beautiful residence on one of the main 
streets of the city. The father is a 
wealthy business man. The mother is a 
quiet church-going woman, who has not 
very much to say about religion. All 
that they could wish for is theirs, but 
on this occasion we see a sad faced 
mother. She has but one boy, he is her 
idol. Something has gone wrong on 
this occasion. We see the mother in 
her room, with her glasses in her hands, 
weeping. Though the sun is shining 
bright about the house, all is dark and 
dreary within. 

Then we will glance in the business 
part of Rosewood and even that great 
mercantile concern, owned by Wilson 
Rogers, is closed. Many customers 
come to its doors but they were locked. 
Something has happened that affects 
the Rogers family. 

We see an officer going down the 
street in whose custody we see the hand- 

90 



The Girl That Disappeared 91 

some, but sad faced Charles Rogers. A 
little further back, standing by the cor- 
ner of Roberts & Allison Mercantile Co., 
we see Don Jackson, who is a little more 
serious than usual but seems to be 
laughing in his sleeves. 

The scene changes a little and we find 
ourselves in the court room in the busy 
little county seat. There are hundreds 
of spectators. People are anxious to 
know what is to be done to this wealthy 
son, who is to be tried for attempting 
to procure Nell Allison. Lawrence But- 
ler takes the stand and testifies that 
an auto stopped in front of him on the 
night of the party. He testifies that 
he called out to them, "What did you 
stop for?" when without an answer 
young Rogers rushed the auto forward. 
He testifies that Charles walked alone 
to the door, then returning picked up 
Nell in his arms and laid her on the 
front porch. A little later the auto 
rushed away and he saw no more. 
"Why didn't you report to Mr. Allison 
at the time?" asked the attorney. "I 
was afraid I would be implicated in the 
affair," replied Lawrence. 

Other witnesses were called and tes- 
tified. The lawyers were making their 



92 The Girl That Disappeared 

t-' - - ■ ■' 

speeches. It seemed as if Charles would 
be convicted of the nefarious crime of 
which he was charged, when all at once 
Uncle Joe Allison stood up in the court 
room and spoke in his earnest way: 
"Judge, I wish you would quit a minute, 
Fve got something I don't understand." 
*'A11 right, Mr. Allison," responded the 
Judge, "we will gladly hear you." Uncle 
Joe ran his hand into his coat pocket 
and lifted the paper which he picked up 
off of the walk a few mornings before. 
It was handed to the clerk, who read it 
in the presence of the court. It read as 
follows: 

"Mr. Don Jackson, 
Rosewood, U. S. A., 
Accept an appreciation of thanks for 
the help you rendered me in the procur- 
ing of Flora J., of that place. She was a 
lot of trouble, but I sold her for quite a 
large sum. I noticed, while there, that 
there are a number of beautiful girls in 
Rosewood. If you can render me as 
good service in the procuring of other 
girls, as in the case just mentioned, it 
will pay you well. 

"Yours Sincerely, 
"Fred Hamilton." 



The Girl That Disappeared 93 

There was a hush throughout the 
court room. The jurors seemed to look 
at each other. Eager faces were bend- 
ing forward, even the judge seemed to 
lack composure. For fully five minutes 
there was a stern look on the face of 
every man connected with the trial. 
Then the prosecuting attorney arose to 
his feet and, after waiting a moment, 
said: "If it please your honor I have a 
statement which I would like to read." 
The judge beckoned his consent. Turn- 
ing to where he half faced the jurors, he 
looked full into the faces of the spec- 
tators of the court room. He was tall 
and straight, his hair was well frosted. 
His appearance would naturally attract 
attention. His face filled with a look of 
earnestness and a tear stood in his eye 
as he said: "Honorable Jurors and 
Gentlemen of this Community: For 
thirty-five years I have tried to do my 
duty in the legal profession. I have 
never frittered away the rights of a 
client. I have never gone very far to 
protect one when they were absolutely 
in the wrong. I hold in my hand a paper 
which will be a startling revelation to 
those who hear it read. I think I have 
an explanation to offer Uncle Joe Alii- 



94 The Girl That Disappeared 

son concerning the paper which he has." 
Then turning around he handed the 
paper to the clerk, who read it as fol- 
lows: "I certify, herewith, that I am 
guilty of attempting to procure the 
daughter of the Methodist preacher in 
this town for white slave purposes, that 
I expect this to be kept secret and used 
only as evidence against me. Signed: 
Charles Rogers, June 15, 1912." Every 
eye was now fixed upon young Rogers. 
There was a flush upon many faces. A 
fine judge of human nature, to have 
gazed upon the assembly, would have 
seen in them a disposition to have 
mobbed the young man who had, for 
years, been so popular in their county 
seat. Attorney Dickson was still stand- 
ing and as the last word fell from the 
clerk's lips he said: "Now, gentlemen, 
I see a hidden meaning in these papers 
which have been read. Though I have 
long been a friend of the Jackson fam- 
ily, I am afraid that by a little investi- 
gation we will find that we are trying 
the wrong man, that is, for the drugging 
of Nell Allison. If your honor will 
permit I must say that the last note 
sounded as if the man who wrote it was 
forced to do so. I am here for the pur- 



The Girl That Disappeared 95 

pose of prosecuting Charles Rogers and 
I brought this last note as evidence 
against him, but as an honest man, I 
cannot do it when it is evident from the 
one presented by Mr. Allison that there 
is one deeper in this crime than young 
Rogers. Attorney Dickson took his 
seat. There was again a hush upon the 
audience, the look of anger had gone 
from their faces and everybody seemed 
to look at Charles Rogers as if to say, 
"speak.'' 

Trembling, Charles Rogers rose to his 
feet and said, "Judge, may I say a 
word?'' 

He answered, "You may." 

"I was forced to write that statement 
which the clerk has read and it has 
been drawn about my head as a dagger, 
many times since I wrote it. I have 
been weak, but I am determined to be 
a different boy than I have ever been — 
I have gone in bad company and I have 
wished a thousand times that I could 
break away, but it has been impossible. 
Two years ago I could have been the 
chosen associate of Morris Elliot and 
had I done so I would not have been in 
this trouble today. But the boys all 
made fun of him because, as they said, 



96 The Girl That Disappeared 

he was too good. Rejecting his associa- 
tion, I chose the companionship of Don 
Jackson, and today I am under arrest 
for attempting a crime into which he 
forced me." 

The judge rose to his feet and, strik- 
ing the table lightly with his gavel, said : 
"This certainly is an exciting trial and 
we are forgetting some of the rules that 
are generally observed in court. But 
since we are into the heart of this mat- 
ter, I will ask Mr. Rogers to please 
explain the whole situation.'' 

"Well," continued Charles, "there was 
a fellow who came to Rosewood, who 
gave his name as Fred Hamilton, and he 
seemed a perfect gentleman and claimed 
to be working for a school of Art in 
D . He was all that is bad, a profes- 
sional gambler, also a white slavetrader. 
In the basement of a certain building in 
this town he and Don Jackson were 
gambling. I didn't engage with them 
but was a friend and associate of Jack- 
son and consequently a spectator upon 
the scene. The first night they gambled, 
the man who gave his name as Hamil- 
ton, won all of Don's money, his ring 
and his watch. Upon promise from 
Jackson that he would meet him there 



The Oirl That Disappeared 97 



the second night, he permitted him to 
wear the ring and watch away. The 
next day I pleaded with Don not to go 
back. 

"I reasoned with him that the man was 
a professional gambler, that he could 
never win back the treasures he had lost 
and that he had better quit before he 
had gone further. At this he laughed 
and asked me if I had been going to 
church with Morris Elliot. Then he 
grew more serious and said, 'Charley, 
if that guy takes away my ring and 
watch, people will know that I have 
been gambling and I will be ruined in 
Rosewood.' He told me that if I would 
help him out of his trouble that he 
would break away from gambling. 

"At that time I was collecting for 
Roberts & Allison Mercantile Co., and 
had $200.00 of their money in my 
pocket. This I should have turned over 
at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, but Don 
promised me, faithfully, that if I would 
withhold $150.00 of it that he would pay 
it back the next day and pay me quite a 
little sum besides, and reluctantly I con- 
sented and visited the basement, feeling 
nervous as I saw Don losing the money 
which I had loaned him. At last it was 



98 The Oirl That Disappeared 

finished and Don had not one cent left" 

"'Now/ said Hamilton, *you are a 
ruined man, but if you will do one thing 
for me you may have back your jewelry 
and money which you have lost/ 

" What is it?' said Don. 

" 'Well, to begin with,' he replied, 1 
am a white slave trader and I am at- 
tempting to procure a girl from this 
town. If you will keep me posted as to 
conditions when I have gone and help 
me when I call upon you, you shall have 
:what I have promised/ 

" 'I will do it,' said Don. 

"Then the man turned to me and said, 
*But this is not enough. I will not re- 
store one cent unless you become an 
accomplice in the whole affair.' 

"I will not," I replied. 

" 'Then, very well,' he said, 'the Rob- 
erts & Allison Mercantile Co. will get 
you in the pen for embezzlement.' 

"Then in great fear I reluctantly con- 
sented and cheerfully the money was 
handed back to Don, who paid me back 
my $150.00 and offered me $25 extra, 
but I would not take it. I turned in the 
money to the Mercantile Co., with my 
collections at 5 p. m. the following day, 
but they caught up with me for keeping 



The Girl That Disappeared 99 

the $150 out for 24 hours and I was dis- 
charged. Very little, however, was said 
about it in the town and it was thought 
that I quit on my own account." 

"Then came the trapping of Flora 
Johnson, and Don Jackson and I knew 
all about it. Then Don kept corre- 
sponding with Fred Hamilton. I have 
begged him to quit it but he would not. 
Don said there was too much money in 
the slavery business for him to quit so 
quickly after entering it. 

"Last week Don tried to force me to 
bi'eak into the safe of the Mercantile 
company, but I would not. Then he 
proposed that we trap Nell Allison. 
This I positively refused to do. He re- 
minded me of the statement that I had 
been forced to sign in his and Hamil- 
ton's presence and he said he would 
expose me if I did not, so I made an 
engagement and took Nell to the party. 
As we were returning home I stopped 
the auto in an appointed place. Don 
Jackson sprang into it, and threw a 
chemical into Nell's face, but was 
frightened away by the approach of 
Lawrence Butler. I then carried her 
home. I wanted to tell her father the 
whole story, but was afraid. I left her 



100 The Girl That Disappeared 

on the front porch, where I knew they 
would find her, and I want to make this 
confession before the jury, that I am 
guilty, but that I have been forced to 
do what I have done." 

Again the Judge struck the table with 
his gavel, as he said, "Sheriff, I order 
the arrest of Don Jackson." 



CHAPTER 6. 
''The Search;^ 

The court adjourned and the atten- 
tion of the reader is called again to the 
scene in the rescue home and you are 
invited to listen again to the sad story 
of Flora Johnson. 

"Well/^ said Flora, "I had not been 
gone from the Mexican hut more than 
two hours when I came to a rocky hill- 
side, covered with small bunches of 
desert plants. I was still bearing to 
my left for fear of getting too near the 
auto road, when I glanced over my 
right shoulder and saw the very auto 
I was trying to shun about a mile away 
from me. They were bearing around 
the hill on the other side of the valley, 
going, I should think, at a speed of 
eighteen miles an hour and apparently 
they did not see me, but I dropped down 
behind a cluster of desert growth and 
fairly panted with fright. I knew they 
had not discovered me or at least I 
thought they had not, but in spite of 
myself I could hear their dreaded steps 
and see them as they came nearer. It 

101 



102 The Girl That Disappeared 

seemed that I could almost feel the sting 
of the whip upon me as they were beat- 
ing me again into submission, but I 
looked out from my hiding place and 
saw the auto still in the far distance. 
Further and further it went till it 
passed around the hill and was soon out 
of sight and then I felt safe once more. 
I rose and clapped my hands for joy. I 
was only a poor, lost girl, in the heart 
of a western desert but I was free. I 
would rather be lost in the heart of the 
Sahara Desert or upon a frail bark in 
midocean than be a white slave." 

Worn in the search in the cities east 

of El , Morris- Elliot stepped from 

the train in the city just named in early 
morning and began his search for Flora 
Johnson in a thoroughly business way. 

At 2 p. m. he went to his room and 
slept until 10 p. m., then, after eating a 
hearty supper, started a thorough 
house-to-house canvass in the question- 
able localities. This kept him busy until 
the lonely hours of the night had worn 
to the third watch. 

Tired and worn, Morris stood in an 
alley leaning against a brick wall listen- 
ing to the stir and hubbub of busy feet 
and the prattling of voices on the inside 



The Girl That Disappeared 103 

of the building where he was leaning. 
Inside the glare of lights, polished 
mirrors, nude pictures, statuary, silken 
tapestries and other testimonies of ill- 
gotten gains stood as brazen-faced wit- 
nesses to the debauchery of those who 
sought the cover of the night to hide 
their sin and save their reputation. 

Waiters were busy, coming and going. 
Rattling wine glasses, too, told of late 
hours wasted in reveling. Suddenly 
from a window above his head Morris 
caught the sound of a woman's voice 
muffled to a moan. Then an awful 
silence seemed to brood throughout the 
darkened air of the night. Then came 
a sob. A moment later there came a 
louder sob. Then the voice of a young 
girl rang out from the window as clearly 
as accents could speak : "Lord, let me 
die.'' That was enough. The man who 
had been standing in motionless silence 
in the alley below, moved with the reso- 
lute coolness of a spartan to the front 
door of the building, where he stood. 
He turned the door knob, but the door 
was locked. A moment later a female 
voice answered: 

"Who is it?" 



104 The Girl That Disappeared 

"An old friend, to be sure/^ answered 
Morris. 

"Old friend or new makes no differ- 
ence here, come in; and who do you 
want to see? Me?" said the hilarious 
wine bibber who appeared at the door. 

"I want to see the new girl,'* Morris 
answered coolly. 

"That big silly; she's too good to see 
anyone, she cries all the time." 

"0, well, she'll get out of that," Mor- 
ris replied, as he assumed a feeble 
laugh. 

It was a fine play. An expert detec- 
tive could have done no better. The 
woman of free speech took a key and 
led Morris to the room where the poor 
girl Morris had heard praying for 
death, was locked in. "It must be she," 
he said to himself as he entered. 

The light revealed a girl young and 
pure, about fifteen years of age, and 
wearing a costume given her by her 
keepers, for her street costume had 
been taken away from her. 

He stood dazed with disappointment, 
but he soon recovered to find himself 
alone with a girl he had never seen be- 
fore in his life. She drew modestly 
back from his presence, but there was 



The Girl That Disappeared 105 

something about him that told her he 
was a man. 

"Ex — excuse me, Miss, but I am look- 
ing for a lost girl an — '' 

"And I am not the girl,'' she added 
and a tear stole down her disappointed 
face. 

"There may be men who underesti- 
mate woman's sorrow and can suppress 
all desire to aid her suffering, but there 
is a manhood that moves the soul, till 
no one dares refuse to obey it Such 
was the manhood of Morris Elliot His 
was manhood that a sentence prayer 
from a fallen woman could drive 
through dangers. It was so powerful 
as to undertake anything but so sensi- 
tive as to melt to the warm touch of a 
tear. In spite of himself a tear of sym- 
pathy fell from his eyes, as he said: 

"Don't look so disappointed— I'll help 
you, but I hoped to find Flora John—" 

"Flora Johnson?" questioned the girl 
in great astonishment. "We have suf- 
fered together." 

"Where was she when last you saw 
her?" asked Morris eagerly. 

"Oh, they shipped us from the mining 

camp to El and Flora leaped from 

the auto and escaped. She is out there 



106 The Girl That Disappeared 

somewhere now unless the slavers got 
her as they returned." 

"Thank God, I have a clue!" he cried 
joyfully. Then turning to the girl, he 
said: 

"rU pay you anything you ask for 
this information — set your price." 

"There's no charge for that, but for 
Heaven's sake, don't leave me in here." 

And as she answered, her eyes spoke 
whole volumes of grief. 

"Follow me and I will save you or 
die." 

"Well, you may die, for they'll kill 
you if they can," she said. "Are you 
armed?" she asked earnestly. 

"No," he answered. "But wait, I have 
a plan." 

He tried the windows, but they were 
barred. He then took the pass key 
from his pocket, unlocked the door and 
stepped into the hall, but the hall win- 
dows were barred hard and fast. What 
could he do? Leaning over the ban- 
nister he saw that no one was looking. 
The rattle of glasses and the music and 
dance in the parlors mingled with the 
voices of fallen women, and men (who 
were ashamed to visit such a place ex- 
cept in the hours of night). Tipping 



The Girl That Disappeared 107 

easily into the room, he said : "There is 
no way to escape — unless you obey per- 
fectly. 

"The windows in the hall are barred 
as hard as these in the room and the 
front door is locked. Then you are 
thinly clad, so you had better get that 
sheet, roll it into a tight bundle, and 
take it along to wrap around you. Tip 
easily into the hall and stand behind the 
bannister. Fll give them the pass key, 
and when the maid opens the door Fll 
start to walk out, then turn and say, 
'What is the girFs name?' As soon as 
the word 'name' falls from my lips, you 
go down those steps like lightning, for 
as soon as I say the word 'name' Fll 
knock the maid down and throw the 
door wide open. So when I say 'name' 
you dive down the steps, leap over her 
body and out the door." 

Morris walked coolly into the parlor 
and handed over the pass key. A mo- 
ment later he stood in the half open 
door. Turning, he said to the maid: 
"What is that girl's name?" Then, with 
the skill of a trained athlete, he knocked 
the maid to the floor. 

The girl was as quick as a wren and 
escaped easily, but before Morris could 



108 The Girl That Disappeared 

whirl and escape half a dozen pistol 
shots ran^ out on the night air. 

"He is dead !" shrieked the girl as she 
ran down the street, for the rattle of a 
million pieces of glass shot from the 
glass door muffled the sound of Morris' 
footsteps behind her. 

"Dash into the alley," said Morris, as 
he took hold of her arm. A moment 
and they were in a dark alley from 
which they found entrance to an old 
shed that shielded them from sight of 
their pursuers. 

There was a clatter of footsteps on 
the pavement in the distance. Morris 
peeped out shyly from their hiding 
place, then drawing back quickly he 
said, "Be still as death !" 

Nearer and nearer came the footfalls 
of the hound of death until he paused 
in front of the old shed. 

"By Jove, I bet they are in here !'* said 
a male voice. Then he called to one of 
his fellows and said: "Leave John at 
the end of the alley and you go to the 
other entrance, while I go back to the 
Mansion and get a light." 

"Listen," whispered Morris, "there in 
the rear of the shed Hes a pile of alfalfa. 



The Girl That Disappeared 109 

rU open a place and cover you com- 
pletely up in it, till they are gone." 

"Please don't/' whispered the girl. 
'Tm afraid they will take me back to 
that horrid den." 

"It's the only chance!" whispered 
Morris, positively. 

With his strong arms he dug up the 
alfalfa. The girl hastily threw herself 
into the open straw grave. Then Mor- 
ris threw the hay back into its place, 
completely hiding her from sight. 

He then hastened through the dark- 
ness, leaped over a side yard fence and 
cencealed himself in an old barrel, 
about twenty steps from the shed. 

He was no more than in his place 
when the light of the search party was 
shining in the shed, but Morris had 
planned his scheme too well. 

The old madam and the man with the 
light searched the old shed and all of 
its surroundings thoroughly. 

"You didn't look in that old barrel," 
said the old woman. 

"Well, you know that they both 
couldn't get in that barrel," replied the 
man. They then turned to search in 
other alleys. 

"What can I do with that half^clad 



110 The Girl That Disappeared 

girl?" thought Morris, as he left his 
hiding place. Lifting the hay from 
over her head, he said: 

"They are gone, so FU just remove 
enough of the alfalfa for you to breathe 
good, and then go get some help for 
you." 

"Thank you," she replied. 

A train of thoughts ran through his 
mind as he slipped out the back way. 
"Who are the Y. W. C. A. and the W. 
C. T. U. women here, I wonder? Then 
if I go to a telephone, someone will find 
out about the rescue and I cannot es- 
cape with the girl. I know," he said to 
himself. "Pll hasten to the depot and 
get the Traveler's Aid to tell me what 
to do." 

Breathlessly he entered the depot, 
but found no Travelers' Aid there. 
What could he do? 

A moment later he was hurrying 
along the street. Not a dry goods 
house was open. Some blocks from the 
depot he rang the bell at a cottage door. 

"Who is that?" came from the inside. 

"Morris Elliot. I have rescued a girl 
and I need some help," was his reply. 

"Well, if that's it, I guess you've 



The Girl That Disappeared 111 

called the wrong number," answered 
the man coldly. 

"Well, I suppose you'd assist me if 
there's enough in it, wouldn't you?" 
asked Morris. 

"Money? Eh?— well that brings on 
more talk," answered the man as he 
opened the door and invited Morris into 
the lighted hall. 

"What can I do, sir, and what pay do 
I get?" asked the man. 

"Simply sell me one of your wife's 
dresses and charge what you will," 
answered Morris. 

The man went to his wife's room and, 
by her help, picked out a fairly good 
outfit for the girl. 

"Those things cost altogether about 
eight dollars, new; but charge him ten," 
said the woman as her husband opened 
the door. 

Morris arose to his feet and had the 
ten dollars ready as the man entered. 

"My wife didn't intend for you to 
hear that," the man said shamefully. 

"Oh, never mind, they are worth ten 
dollars," said Morris. 

Morris received and paid for the 
bundle of things and in a few minutes 
was back to the old shed. 



112 The Girl That Disappeared 

*'Are you here?'' asked Morris gently. 

"Oh, yes," replied the girl. 

"Well, here, shake that alfalfa and the 
old sheet off and put these clothes on," 
said Morris, as he lifted the alfalfa off 
her. 

"Now, quick," continued Morris. * We 
will hurry and I will send you home to 
your parents. Where do they live?" 

"In Nashville," she replied. 

"Ready? Then we must hurry, for 
they might overtake us and then all 
would be lost, but as we go to the depot 
tell me all about Flora, for I have come 
a thousand miles in search of her. 
When did you see her last? Where do 
you think she is now? Tell me all about 
her," Morris eagerly questioned. 

"Well, I first met her at the Paris Art 
Academy. Then she and I and four 
other girls were shipped by automobile 
to New Mexico to the mining camps. 

Then they shipped us for El , but 

she leaped from the auto and as the 
slaver leaped to catch her I threw my 
foot out and tripped him. He fell head- 
long down the embankment and she es- 
caped. He did not know that it was 
my foot that tripped him or I would 
have suffered the consequences. 



The Girl That Disappeared 113 

"Thank you," said Morris. "I could 
willingly have done anything for you, 
if you had not done anything in return, 
but since you have done something for 
Flora's sake, I can help you the more 
cheerfully." 

Morris gave her a ticket to Nashville 
and several dollars besides. 

Daybreak found the fortunate girl 
on a train speeding on her way to home 
and loved ones, while Morris was on a 

desert north of El , searching for 

Flora. 

At noon he threw himself upon the 
desert sand beneath the shade of some 
desert growth. Here he fell asleep and 
dreamed a sweet dream about finding 
Flora. Had he only known it, it could 
have come true, for she was just over 
the hill trying to escape her pursuers. 
The auto had stopped and the slavers 
were on her track, but Morris was only 
a few hundred feet away from her. 

Morris awoke from his sleep and 
hurried to the top of the hill from 
whence he discovered the lost object of 
his affection and search. Yes, it was 
really Flora, but she was prostrated to 
the earth and the slavers were beating 



114 The Girl That Disappeared 

her with their horse whips. 

Morris, still unarmed, hastened to 
the scene. Arms would have been to 
advantage, of course, but his bravery- 
was better, for he faced the peril of his 
life. Just as he came within a few 
yards of them, one of the slavers turned 
on him with a large revolver. 

"Bang!'' rang out the report, but 
Morris seized a rock and drove it be- 
tween the eyes of the vampire, knock- 
ing him to the ground, where he lay 
motionless for some time. 

The other slaver turned just then to 
shoot, but Morris was too quick for 
him, for, just as he fired, Morris hit his 
revolver and knocked it upward, so that 
the bullet passed above his head. The 
demon-faced brute glared upon him 
with flashes of anger that revealed a 
murderous spirit, but Morris struck 
him hard and sent the revolver hurling 
to the ground. The hand to hand con- 
flict now began. The slaver was large 
and possessed much muscular power, 
but Morris was fighting for a principle. 
As they grappled, the strong man be- 
came more furious, but Morris was 
gaining on him. Several minutes passed 
as they fought, but Morris soon struck 



The Girl That Disappeared 115 

him under the chin, twisted his beastly 
head and let him fall in the hot desert 
sand. Then a kick on the side of the 
head rendered him unconscious. 

Flora now rushed right into his arms 
and cried out: "Oh, my dear Morris!'' 

His lips quivered a moment, a tear 
stood in his eye, then he drew her 
tighter to him and kissed her. "Turn 
me loose, quick !" he said, but Flora held 
him in her arms and wept for joy. 

He broke her hold to see if they were 
safe, but he was a second too late, for, 
just as he broke loose from Flora's em- 
brace the slaver he had first knocked 
down struck him on the side of the 
head, — a blow that stunned him. 

"You brute !'' exclaimed Flora. Just 
then the other slaver came too, and as- 
sisted in lashing her for giving them 
so much trouble. 

"Where did you put them pistols?'' 
growled one of the slavers. 

"I hid them while Morris and you 
were fighting," said Flora. 

"Where?" he asked. 

"Find out if you can/' answered 
Flora. 

The slavers looked all about, but 
Flora had buried them in the sand a 



116 The Girl That Disappeared 

few steps away. They kicked the pros- 
trate Morris Elliot, cursed him, then 
seized the weeping, timid girl and left 
Morris for dead. 

The kicks helped to arouse Morris to 
consciousness and when the slavers 
were only about a hundred yards away 
he sat up, rested a moment, and stood 
on his feet. Strength and impulse came 
to him at once and he followed in hot 
pursuit, but they reached the automo- 
bile before he overtook them. The 
auto was slow about starting and as it 
moved away he was again within a few 
feet of Flora. She thoughtfully cried 
out, "It's a double log house, with green 
shutters in the mining camp called 

G . And I buried their pistols 

yonder under that cluster of ." 

A strong, rough hand struck her on 
the mouth and Morris was left alone. 



CHAPTER 7. 
"The Sham Rescue/' 

"That's a nasty way youVe got, 
Debs," growled the noisy old mistress 
of the green-shuttered mansion. 

"Yes ma'am, but we hunted all over 
the desert for her, then it was dark, and 
we had to guard the others," answered 
Debs. 

"You contemptible rat! Fm a good 
notion blowin' yer brains out'n you. 
Another mess like that and we'll be 
under the lid. You git outer here and 
call that Martin fellow — he's a special 
police and we've gotta do quick work," 
muttered the old matron. 

Debs ran to call the officer, while the 
old mistress (so well known as Liz) 
with her gang began their diabolical 
plot against Flora, who at this time 
was locked in a miserable little room 
upstairs. 

"Put her in an auto and send her back 
to El at once," said one. 

"Yes, and she's so bent on escape 
that she'll bust the barrel if she doesn't 
tell everybody she meets," said another. 

117 



118 The Girl That Disappeared 

"That's about the way she'd do," said 
Liz. "I tell you Fm sick of that gal, Fd 
turn her loose, but the whole thing 
would out then, and the system would 
be broken up." 

"Madamoselle Sliza, I have a sartar 
of a plan," said an inmate, who was 
lately from France. 

"What's that, Zanty?" queried old 
Liz. 

"Give 'er a dime preparation — you 
knows dead people tells no tales." 

"And where'll ye put her body?" 
asked another. 

"That's the bringing in of a bad play. 
That duck that's huntin' for her'll iden- 
tify her body, prove where she's buried 
from, and then we're in bad. If we 
could get her away from here, Fll be 
mighty glad. She'd yelp on somebody 
else and we'd be clear," said old Liz. 

"But 'spose she got loose anywheres, 
Madamoselle, how 'bout 'es slaving sys- 
tem?" said Zanty. 

The old matron turned red, walked 
to the window and peeped out nerv- 
ously. "Here he comes," she said, as 
Debs and the special police entered. 

"Howdy do, Mr. Martin!" said Liz, 
as she laid a ten dollar bill in his hand. 



The Girl That Disappeared 119 

I need some service tonight and knowed 
I could count on a good fellow like you." 

"Certainly, Ma'am. Fm here to do 
what ye like. What is it?" 

"Well," said Liz, "there's a fellow 
searching for a girl that's here. He's 
afoot out south and comes this way. He 
will be here sometime tomorrow if he 
walks, but he may hit the Mexican 
camp, mount a pony and reach here be- 
fore midnight. Now, you go to the 
outer end of El Paso avenue, and there, 
you watch for him. If he arrives to- 
night, arrest him as a suspected horse 
thief. Don't turn him in or you'll get in 
bad, but take him to Mollie Davis' under 
pretense that it is your house and you 
are to guard him over night. But if he 
doesn't come till morning, it's all 0. K., 
for we'll fix the kitten here by morning 
somehow." 

"Good as done— he'll not bother you 
tonight," said Martin as he left for his 
station on El Paso avenue. 

The tall, fair complexioned, brown- 
headed man who had visited the art 
school a few weeks before and pur- 
chased six girls for the mining camps' 
district of vice, was a high official in 
the mining company and had his resi- 



120 The Girl That Disappeared 

dence in a beautiful portion of the town 

of G . On this evening his three 

children were busily engaged around 
their study table. Innocence of child- 
hood was written upon their faces. 
Little did they dream that their father 
was connected with so cruel a thing as 
the whit^ islave traffic. They did not 
even dream pT there being such a thing 
as the white slave traffic. 

The phone rang and Elsie, a lovely 
fourteen-year-old girl, answered it. 

"Papa, who is Lizzie Wayman?" she 
asked eagerly as she took her seat 
again at the table. 

The man turned pale, moved himself 
in his plush chair and answered, in an 
agitated way: "Oh, the wife of one of 
the miners, I reckon.'' 

"Well,'' said Elsie, "she wants to see 
you." 

Her father left the house hurriedly, 
and Elsie kept muttering to herself, 
"Why does papa have to go see the wife 
of a miner?" 

In twenty minutes Liz had told the 
story of Flora Johnson's escape and re- 
covery, and how a searcher was out 
looking for her. 

"You must act quickly," said the man, 



The Girl That Disappeared 121 

"but from what you tell me, you are 
perplexed about what to do. Now, 
there is only one thing to do and that 
is to put up a sham rescue. Let some 
one she has never seen, rescue her. 
Then take her to some house here till 
morning. When morning comes she 
can be taken to Albuquerque or any- 
where else you want her to go, by just 
simply making her think the woman 
you send with her is her friend. Dress 
one of the boys like a preacher, — better, 
here is Gib Richelieu, he and his wife 
would both play into the game. Dress 
him like a preacher. I'll see the mayor 
and have two policemen detailed to help, 
and Gib can take the two officers, break 
in here. You pretend to offer resist- 
ance. Tomorrow send Gib's wife with 
the girl to St. Louis, Memphis, Denver, 
Los Angeles, or New Orleans. 

"Dandy," said Liz, as the brown- 
headed gentleman turned to go. "You 
see the mayor and FU fix it with the 
Richelieus." 

The mayor consented, for he knew 
whose influence put him into office. The 
two policemen were willing to help, for 
they knew the mayor would oust them 
if they didn't. And then there was 



122 The Girl That Disappeared 

extra money in it. Liz placed a nice 
sum in Blanche Richelieu's possession 
and gave her complete directions about 
playing a preacher's wife and taking 
Flora to New Orleans under pretense 
of taking her to her sister's. 

Supper was fixed and Flora brought 
down and was eating. "Bump," came 
a sound at the front door. All seemed 
uneasy for a moment. Some one said, 
"Who is that?" 

"Open this door, or Fll knock it open," 
growled out a rough policeman. 

"For heaven's sake!" shouted Liz, 
"They are raiding the house !" 

Flora's heart leaped for joy. She 
mused, "Morris cannot be here so soon." 
She listened a moment and thought she 
could hear his voice outside. Anyway 
the house was being raided and she was 
to be freed again. 

As Gib Richelieu and the two police- 
men burst through the door, Liz called 
out, "What's this for?" 

"To raid a dive that's keepin' young 
girls against their wills." 

"We're not doing that !" shouted Liz. 

"You are !" said an officer. 

"You're a d— liar !" said Liz. "These 
girls that are here want to be here," 



The Girl That Disappeared 123 

"Never!'' ejaculated Flora. "Tak^ 
me anywhere, but let me out of here.'' 

She now saw a clergyman's coat, and 
although his face was not so refined 
as most ministers, the blind was suffi- 
cient. Gib reached out his hand and 
said, "God bless you, child, come to the 
parsonage with me." 

Flora was now taken into that de- 
mon's home, where she was deceived 
into thinking he was a preacher of the 
United Brethren church. 

Flora asked him many questions 
about how many members he had. How 
long he had been preaching? etc. Some- 
times he would look a little non-plussed, 
but managed to answer most of her 
questions. 

Nearly thirty-six hours Flora chatted 
to Gib Richelieu's wife as with an old 
friend, while their train made its way 
across the Lone Star state. On the sec- 
ond day, tall moss-covered trees rose 
on either side of the train. Flowers 
bloomed, the birds sang. It was the 
beautiful Louisiana. 



CHAPTER 8. 
"Happenings in Rosewood." 

"News to the guards! News to the 
guards!" shouted a girl's voice, as she 
seated herself in a large willow rocker 
which she had placed in the center of 
her bed. Her hair was covered with 
flowers, and no less than ten yards of 
ribbons of many colors were tied in 
various shapes on her arms, her waist, 
or pinned about her shoulders, chest, 
or skirt, in bows. 

''Dear, see what Nell wants," said 
Mrs. Allison, as their daughter's voice 
echoed down the stairs. 

As Uncle Joe entered the room he 
was greeted with: 

"Hello, Daddy! The queen is glad to 
see her dad. Rosewood is now the cap- 
ital and I am the queen of the world." 

This was so sudden that Uncle Joe 
almost reeled in amazement. Could 
Nell be crazy? No, surely not. But 
what could be wrong? 

"Say, Daddy," said Nell. "Do you 
know what they did with Don Jackson 
and Charles Rogers?" 

124 



The Girl That Disappeared 125 

"Yes, Nell, the court gave Charles 
Rogers his freedom under condition 
that he leave Rosewood never to return, 
and he left for the west as soon as the 
court adjourned. That was day before 
yesterday, and good for him, that he 
did, I tell you." 

"That's right. Daddy," laughed Nell. 
"But go on, ril see if you know all 
about it." 

"Well, owing to loose legislation in 
this state, they only gave Don Jackson 
two years in the penitentiary, but about 
1 o'clock yesterday he was hung by a 
mob." 

"By a mob!" answered Nell in great 
glee. "That's it. Daddy; I knew you 
didn't know. Listen, and I'll tell you all 
about it. It was not a mob. Daddy. 
Didn't you see the uniforms worn by 
those men? They are my soldiers. I 
ordered him executed and they did it. 
One of my marshals has just gone with 
orders to the guards to bring Charles 
Rogers back. I'll make him tell where 
this Fred Hamilton is. Hamilton will 
tell where Flora is. Then I'll have poor 
Flora brought home, Fred Hamilton 
hung to the same tree where Don Jack- 
son was hung, and Charles Rogers, ha ! 



126 The Girl That Disappeared 

ha! ha! ha! why my marshal will whip 
him and send him west to stay. I've 
just sent news to the guards, Daddy — 
orders to the guards!" 

A look of disappointment came into 
Uncle Joe's face, as he realized that 
her mind was wrong. Then he said: 
"That would be the thing to do, Nell; 
they deserve just sich as that, but you 
are not — ^\ 

"I am the queen of the world. Daddy 
— ^the queen of all the earth !" 

In twenty minutes Uncle Joe returned 
with Dr. Morgan. As they entered^ 
Nell said to her mother, who was rub- 
bing her hands and weeping: "Hand 
me my septre, mother, I have dropped 
it by my throne !" 

Her mother handed her the long sil- 
ver tooth brush that lay by her chair. 
She stretched it out as Dr. Morgan en- 
tered, and said: 

"This septre bids you welcome. Dr. 
Morgan. I am the queen of the world." 

Dr. Morgan made a low bow, as if to 
solute her, and then replied: "I've just 
learned of your good fortune and have 
come to see you. "You'll still let me be 
your physician, I suppose?" (Nell 
nodded, and smiled.) 'Well, even the 



The Girl That Disappeared 127 

queen has to obey doctor's orders and 
you must retire, for you need rest." 

Nell looked puzzled : "But I have the 
affairs of my court, Dr. Morgan.'' 

"Yes, that's true, but you are the 
queen and they would wait if you say 
so. Now, leave your throne and retire, 
for you've promised to obey my orders," 
he replied. 

Reluctantly Nell left the rocker and 
permitted them to place her in bed. 

Dr. Morgan gave her something to 
make her sleep and as he left, said: 
"Don't be uneasy. Uncle Joe, the nurse 
will take good care of her. Her mind 
is not permanently deranged, but is 
overwrought from the excitement of 
yesterday. It is too much for the poor 
child, but we'll keep her sleeping as 
much as possible, and in less than three 
days her mind will come back. First it 
will be as a child's mind, then it will be 
as perfect as ever. Only a week. Uncle 
Joe, and she'll be well." 

Uncle Joe shook his head sorrowfully, 
but, sure enough, she recovered as the 
doctor had said. 



CHAPTER 9. 
"The Perilous Pathway.'' 

It was a hard night^s tramp for Mor- 
ris. The coyotes howled near the lonely 
path, and made his blood run cold in his 
veins. A rattler hfted his tail and 
sang a song of danger. He started up 
in fear at different times, but would 
calm himself with the thought that 
from the clouds the angels were watch- 
ing and the God of his mother would 
let no evil thing befall him. It must 
have been about 12 o'clock when in the 
darkness before him he saw two, mad, 
yellowish-green eyes, fixed firm upon 
him. They gazed at him a moment and 
then turned away. An owl called out in 
hideous laughter from a rocky sand hill 
near by, and he turned to see the fierce 
fiery eyes following just a few feet be- 
hind him. 

"Begone, you hungry whatever you 
are!" he exclaimed. 

The beast growled fiercely and then 
moved out further into the shadow. 

"Flora told me where she buried 
those pistols — I wonder why I didn't 

128 



The Girl That Disappeared 129 

bring one," he thought to himself. 
"What a wonder those hideous things 
did not attack Flora. But I guess — I 
guess — I know God takes care of us all.'' 

Just then the devil seemed to come to 
him and say: "Your God is false. If 
He takes care, why did He permit Flora 
to be trapped?" 

The temptation was so sudden that 
Morris stopped short. His brain seemed 
afire. 

"Why!— Why!— I don't-I do know. 
Get behind me, Satan ! I will have none 
of it. God did not trap her, you did it, 
but He has watched you and victory will 
come. You'll be defeated. A million 
girls will be saved by her misfortune, 
for she shall be safe in a few hours. 
Let me reach that camp. Fll— ." 

Just then the fierce growl of the 
prairie wolf broke his reverie, and as 
he turned he saw the fierce eyes close 
at his side. But the angels were watch- 
ing and He who said, "Not a sparrow 
falls without my notice," was watching, 
too, for just as the hungry wolf was 
about to leap upon him a mysterious 
sound was heard in the mountain pass. 
The wolf was frightened back into the 
shadow, and Morris moved on while the 



130 The Girl Thai Disappeared 

wind swept the dust down upon him. 
Dust, dust, dust— it filled his mouth, 
eyes, ears and nose, but the mysterious 
wind did not stop here, it grew fiercer 
and fiercer till it was picking up pebbles 
as large as birds' eggs and hitting poor 
Morris in the face. Only those who 
have been in these western sandstorms 
know how fierce they are, but on and on 
went the traveler. Not the wind, not 
the howl of the coyote nor the fierce 
growl of the hungry wolf at his side, 
gave speed to his feet, but the animat- 
ing thought— there was something to 
be done. 

At dawn the wind was still. At 10 
o'clock Morris entered the mining camp 
with face and hands dirty and clothes 
saturated with sand. Hungry? Yes, 
he was hungry, too, but he must fill his 
mission first. 

Two policemen were hired and the 
green-shuttered mansion was raided 
again, but it revealed nothing. All the 
young girls were removed to Mollie 
Davis' place. And old Liz assured Mor* 
ris that Flora was just where she was 
because she wanted to be. Then she 
proved it by a dozen inmates in her 
house. But Morris only clenched his 



The Girl That Disappeared 131 

teeth and said: "You are false. Flora 
Johnson is the same pure girl. Fll never 
believe otherwise till she tells me so 
herself!'' 

''Well, she left here this morning for 
Denver, and a trip to Market street will 
convince you, young man," said Liz. 

Morris moved away slowly, dis- 
charged his police with full pay and was 
passing along the street studying what 
to do next. "I know," thought he, "Fll 
stay here and watch every movement — 
she is here, and I will have her." 

Just then a woman touched him on 
the arm and said: "Morris Elliot." 

He turned in surprise to see a girl 
about twenty-six years of age, of very 
loud dress and frivolous demeanor. "I 
can tell you something you want to 
know," she said as they passed on the 
street. 

An hour later Morris arose and ad- 
mitted his guest to his room at the 
hotel. 

"I am glad you are come," said Mor- 
ris, "for this has been the struggle 
of—" 

"Never mind," she said, "Flora has 
told me all about you, and for your sake 
and her's Fll tell you all I know." 



132 The Girl That Disappeared 

Then she told him all about the sham 
rescue, and the removal to New Or- 
leans. Then she added: "They have 
gone to Amarillo to catch the Ft. Worth 
and Denver City railroad. You get a 
horse and make for El Paso, then catch 
the 'Sunset Pacific^ for Nevir Orleans.'' 

"Who are you?'' asked Morris. 

"Never mind. I was once as pure as 
Flora. I was trapped about the same 
way, but I am gone down now for good." 

"Why don't you go home?" he 
queried. 

"I cannot," she said. 

"Yes, you can. I'll pay your way. I 
can get you a position." 

"You do not know," she said. "I've 
tried that, but when you go as far as I, 
there is no' return. When I was first 
allowed my freedom, I did try to re- 
form. I secured a position and was 
doing all right, but a man who had seen 
me in the district had me discharged. 
Oh, there is no use. I've crossed the 
fatal bridge and there is no return for 
me." 

"Here is five dollars for your kind- 
ness," he said. 

"No, I don't want it," she replied as 
she shut the door to leave. 



The Girl That Disappeared 133 

"Wait!" he cried. "I must give 
you — ," but the only response he heard 
was the muffled footfalls on the stair- 
steps. 

"Stop awhile/' said Morris to the 
chauffeur as they approached the place 
where Flora had been taken from him. 

In a little while Morris found the re- 
volvers where Flora had pointed out to 
him. "No, I will not," he exclaimed. 
"It's against the law and Fll not conceal 
a weapon about my person." 

He opened the sand and placed the 
revolvers where Flora had left them 
and, turning to go, he saw a brown 
rock about the size of a goose egg. It 
was rough and very hard, with a bloody 
spot on the side of it. He knew it was 
the stone with which he had struck the 
slaver, so he dropped it in his pocket 
and hurried away, thinking to himself 
how Flora would be pleased with the 
souvenir. 

His auto made good speed, but was 
just in time for the "Sunset" train to 
New Orleans. 

"Well, well," he said as he neared San 
Antonio, "I have only fifty-six dollars 



134 The Girl That Disappeared 

left. That means, I have spent all of 
my fifteen hundred dollars. But I am 
glad, for rU get a start somehow 
again," 



CHAPTER 10. 
"Harry Morton — And the Rescue/* 

Harry Morton had delivered his lec- 
ture in a prosperous Louisiana town 
and stepped on the train to visit New 
Orleans. He had been employed by the 
National Anti- White Slave Association 
for a long time and, being an expert 
judge of human nature, was sure that 
the girl who chatted away in front of 
him was a white slave. He was going to 
the city for a few days' investigation 
and now before reaching the city he has 
discovered a girl in the clutches of the 
foe. He opened his newspaper out and 
seemed to become intensely interested. 
Little by little he leaned forward, work- 
ing his lips as if reading the most 
interesting news he had ever seen. 

Blanche Richelieu gazed at him a mo- 
ment but turned to answer Flora's 
question, feeling that he was paying no 
attention to her. She drew from her 
handbag the address given by Liz Way- 
man, to make sure she was right. Mor- 
ton saw the address, and knew it was 
in a questionable locality. He read a 

135 



136 The Girl That Disappeared 

few moments longer, donned his spring 
overcoat, and went into the smoker. 

When the train stopped, Harry Mor- 
ton was the first man off. He sprang 
from the step, checked his grip at the 
parcel window, and ordered an auto to 
take him to the address he had seen in 
Blanche Richelieu's hand. 

In twenty minutes he was at his post, 
standing near the entrance and pacing 
along the sidewalk, watching for the 
girl he had seen on the train. Oh, what 
a task ! A minister down in the slums 
at night! Was it not beneath him? 
Then came an eternal "No!'' in his 
mind. Jesus Christ came to seek and 
to save the lost. His preachers must go 
and do likewise. Then who could be 
more lost than the poor girls in the 
slums? 

"Thank God!" he whispered to him- 
self, "I have the greatest work of any 
preacher in Louisiana. The National 
Anti- White Slave Association, urging 
me on in the work, the lost girls of this 
state appealing to my very heart, and 
God,— the god of all the earth with a 
reward if or me at the end of the line." 

There was a buzz — ^buzz, and the auto 



The Girl That Disappeared 137 

bearing Flora Johnson stopped in front 
of the "Creole Club." 

'Tou have deceived me! You have 
deceived me! And FlI not go there!'' 
cried Flora, as soon as she saw the sign 
over the door. 

"Yes, but you are in the trap, Kitty, 
you're in sure; you have escaped your 
last time. Miss," said Blanche. 

Harry Morton could stand it no 
longer, and placing his official button 
on his coat, stepped forward and ex- 
claimed : 

"I guess you are mistaken there, 
Madam !" He then took Flora's arm and 
led her away from the frightened ac- 
complice. 

"What is your name, daughter?" he 
asked as they passed up the street. 

"It is Flora Johnson," she answered. 

"My name is Harry Morton; I saw 
you on the train — in fact, I sat on the 
seat behind you. I saw the address in 
that VvToman's hand and knew where she 
was taking you. Then I hurried to the 
address and waited." 

"Thank you!" said Flora. 

Then she told him who her father 
was, where he lived and all about him. 
She also told of Morris and how she 



138 The Girl That Disappeared 

left him on the desert in New Mexico. 

"Well, daughter, Fll take you to a 
good hotel. -Then we'll wire your father 
that you are rescued. Send a letter to 
Morris, and then Fll send you to a res- 
cue home up here in Texas where you 
may rest and recover, for you don't 
want to go home now." 

Just then a strong, young man, dusty 
and tired, but fair and handsome, 
crossed the street a few yards in front 
of them. A thrill ran through Flora's 
whole body as she whispered to herself, 
"Who is this young man?" 

"Look, Brother Morton, I believe 
that's Morris," she exclaimed. 

Just then he turned and she ran to- 
ward him. He caught her in his arms a 
moment and said : 

"I have you now, Flora, and they'll 
never get you again." 

Flora answered with a gush of joy- 
ous tears. Then she introduced Morris 
to Harry Morton. 

Forty-five minutes later a conference 
between the three had brought them to 
agree that Morris should take her to 
the rescue home. And there is where 
she told me some of the details, of thia 
awful tragedy. 



CHAPTER 11. 
"The Cattle Upon a Thousand Hills/' 

When Morris left the rescue home 
that gloomy Friday afternoon, he felt 
in his pocket to see how much of his 
fifty-six dollars was left. When he 
lifted his flattened purse he found only 
two one-dollar bills. "My! what has 
happened?'' thought he. Then he re- 
membered that he had handed Mr. Mor- 
ton ten dollars for his kindness, the bill 
at the hotel and the cost of the tickets, 
with also an entrance fee for Flora at 
the rescue home. 

"Well, that's right," he mused, "but I 
wonder what I'll do next.'' 

In his room at a quiet little hotel that 
evening he prayed a beautiful prayer of 
thanksgiving to God for his triumph in 
his western search. Then he added: 
"Help me, oh, thou God of my fathers. 
Oh, I am so helpless, help me, thou who 
knowest my poverty; keep me from 
asking help of any one but of Thee. 
There is one who would give me half 
his possessions tonight, but I do not 
want — I must not take it ! Oh, God bless 

139 



140 The Girl That Disappeared 

Papa and Mama, and oh, thou Friend 
that sticketh closer than a brother, help 
me, I am so tired, — no place where I can 
work to gain it all back, — oh, I am so 
poor/' 

At the close of his prayer he uttered, 
not an "Amen" but a groan deep and 
powerful. Then he retired, but did not 
sleep. It must have been hours he 
tossed and wondered what he should do 
next day. A thousand plans came to 
him, but no one suited, each air castle 
fell of its own accord. 

Rising early the next morning he 
opened his suitcase, drew out his Bible 
and it opened at the fiftieth Psalm. He 
read till all at once he came to the 
words, "Every beast of the forest is 
mine, and the cattle upon a thousand 
hills." At these words his heart leaped 
for joy. Why should he be puzzled? 
The God he had served from childhood 
owned all the earth. Surely He would 
not forget him in his poverty. 

He replaced his Bible, took his clothes 
brush and ran over his suit. When the 
tables in the dining-room filled that 
morning everybody said: "That the 
young man at the head of the first table 
looked like a young statesman." 



The Girl That Disappeared 141 

He ran to his room again to prepare 
for the day. Just as he closed his suit- 
case with a jerk, something rolled out 
on the floor. ^'Ha! Ha!" he laughed, 
"That's Flora's souvenir and I forgot 
to give it to her." 

Throwing his suit case into a corner, 
he picked up the brown stone that had 
fallen out a moment before. "Well, FU 
just drop you in a gutter," he said half 
aloud, but he forgot and put it in his 
pocket. 

Right on the main street he saw a 
sign in the window of a jewelrv store, 
"Man Wanted." 

"Good!" thought he. "Fll get that 
job sure." 

A moment later his application was 
before the proprietor. 

"Oh, pshaw," laughed the big jeweler, 
"you don't want this job. I just wanted 
someone for a day, or two, to wash 
windows and dust around upstairs." 

"Well, Fll do my best," said Morris. 

"Yes, but you can't afford — ." 

"I know what I am about — if I didn't 
want work I would not have apphed," 
answered Morris. 

Morris was so businesslike that the 
jeweler yielded, and in less than twenty 



142 The Girl That Disappeared 

minutes the young man with sleeves up 
to his elbows, was scrubbing the win- 
dows like an experienced porter. In 
making his stroke back and forth the 
stone with the spot of blood on it an- 
noyed him. 

"Say/' he said to the jeweler, "will 
you take care of this souvenir for me 
till noon?" 

"Certainly," he replied as he took the 
brown stone. 

He looked at the stone, then back at 
Morris. He tossed it over and caught 
it, weighed it in his scale, and probed 
into the brown cover with a sharp in- 
strument or two. 

"Say, young man, what will you take 
for this souvenir?" asked the big jew- 
eler, eagerly. 

"Oh, I've decided to keep it awhile," 
answered Morris, thinking the man was 
jesting. 

The jeweler weighed the stone again, 
and cut away a little more of the brown 
cover, and said: 

"ril give you fifteen thousand spot 
cash for it, sonny." 

"Add five hundred to that and you 
may have it," answered Morris, half 
laughing. 



The Girl That Disappeared 143 

The jeweler drew out his check book, 
but Morris never looked around. He 
went on cleaning the window. In a 
minute the jeweler touched his arm and 
said : 

"Here it is, my boy.'' 

Morris took the check and looked at 
it for nearly a minute before he could 
realize what it was. 

"It's good, all right. Mister," said the 
jeweler in answer to the look of hesita- 
tion in Morris' face. "It's good, I've got 
that money there — come and I will go 
with you to the bank." 

Morris wiped his hands, pulled down 
his sleeves and followed the jeweler, but 
hardly realizing what was happening. 
He was introduced to the banker and 
then jumped half out of his shoes as the 
man behind the casing, said : 

"Do you want the money, or will you 
deposit with us, Mr. Elliot?" 

Morris turned in surprise to the jew- 
eler, and said: "Then that was a—." 

"It was a diamond in the rough, sir, 
the finest I have ever seen," he replied. 

"I'll deposit all but a hundred," Mor- 
ris said to the banker. 

"He slipped the five twenties into his 
pocket and as he looked in the bank 



144 The Girl That Disappeared 



book and saw fifteen thousand four 
hundred dollars to his credit/' he re- 
peated, "And the cattle upon a thousand 
hills." 

That was Saturday morning, and 
Monday Morris called at the rescue 
home and asked Mrs. Gordon to take 
the girl to my lecture. The following 
day Morris told me the rest. 



CHAPTER 12. 
"More Than a Tithe." 

It has now been two years since I 
called at the Gordon rescue home to lis- 
ten to the story of Flora Johnson. 
Fifteen thousand slave traders have 
been busy every day of these two years, 
procuring the innocent daughters of 
our nation. In these two years an ag- 
gregate of three hundred and twenty- 
five thousand girls have been dragged 
from their homes and sacrificed to the 
"God of Lusf Still millions of moth- 
ers go blindly on, without knowing 
where their daughters go, nor when 
they return. Some do not try even to 
know what company they keep. 

In these two years some have gone 
down, but thank God, others have risen 
to higher ground. 

Last week I visited the lovely little 
town of Rosewood — lectured in Rev. 
Jeremiah Johnson's church and visited 
with my old friends, Morris and Flora. 

Morris has bought Mr. Roberts' in- 
terest in the Roberts & Allison Mercan- 
tile Co., and a large sign hangs over the 

145 



146 The Girl That Disappeared 

street, ^^Elliot & Allison Mercantile Co/' 
All that Morris has undertaken has 
succeeded. He now owns two-thirds of 
the business, and when anyone asks 
Uncle Joe for anything out of the ordi- 
nary he refers them to the new pro- 
prietor, by saying : "IVe al'us been the 
boss, but you'll have to see Morris now, 
Tm too old for sich worry." 

While in Rosewood I did not see the 
hotels. An electric auto driven by "The 
Girl That Disappeared'* met me at the 
depot, and I was taken to the finest 
home in town. Great marble columns 
stood holding the upper and lower por- 
ticos apart. Flowers bloomed here and 
there in artistical arrangement about 
the grassy lawn. The great stone pal- 
ace was a piece of art. When I entered 
I saw here and there on the floor skins 
from the black and grizzly bears. (They 
were shot by Morris while he and Flora 
were visiting in the west. Well, it was 
the kind of bridal trip they chose, for I 
married them in the parlors of the Res- 
cue Home before I left them.) Carpets, 
paintings, curtains, furniture decked 
the large, beautiful rooms ; and the sun- 
shine poured in glad radiance into the 
house through every window. It was 



The Girl That Disappeared 147 

indeed the kingdom of a happy home. 
Seated near Flora at the table I looked 
for the wrinkles and marred spots in 
her complexion, but they were gone. 
The twenty-year-old girl I had seen at 
the Rescue Home, seemed to be the 
eighteen-year-old wife. 

After the evening meal there, Rev. 
Johnson and I went to my room. Morris 
and Flora called it "The Prophets' 
Chamber.'' He said he had a lot to tell 
me, and he did. He told me how for 
long, weary years he had fought the 
battles of the ministry. "It is a great 
work," he said. "The system is the best 
in the world, but you are in the greatest 
work. The neglected work, in fact," he 
continued. "The church is suffering so 
much from this social problem, that she 
will die if there is not more effort put 
forth in your line. Go on, and may He 
bless you." 

Half way down the steps he stopped 
suddenly, and he whispered: "Look at 
them !" A smile covered his whole face 
and he forced me to eavesdrop, when I 
didn't intend to. 

Before us in the library, sat Morris 
and Flora. Her arm was around him, 



148 The Girl That Disappeared 

and he was figuring on the table. They 
were both so busy they did not see us. 

'Tlora, look here! I have cleared 
thirty thousand this year. It seems un- 
real. God is certainly with us. Now, 
let's give, not only the tithe, the tenth, 
but three-tenths;" like this: 

Pasor's salary, $300.00; and then 
weVe been supporting a missionary in 
Japan at $800.00. Let's add another 
missionary for China and another for 
Korea, $1,600.00; distribution for the 
poor French and Belgians, $300.00 ; and 
with the remaining $6,000 establish a 
home for the rescue of lost girls. 

Then Flora smiled, kissed him, and 
from the bottom of her womanly heart 
came a beautiful "All right, Morris." 



THE END. 



"THE KENTUCKIAN 

OR, 

A WOMAN'S REAPING" 

IS one of those books that make an impression 
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may truly be called — The Home Book- It is 
written to show what each home can be if only we 
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The ^ory of the book, which is laid in the heart 
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If you want your home life purer, and to leave 
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